By James Feichtner
The holidays are chaotic enough without the worry of also giving the best gifts to children and loved ones. Indiana Youth President and Zionsville resident Bill Stanczykiewicz said that teaching your kids to be good gift givers is a crucial value in making them better gift receivers.
“One of the best things we can do for our kids is help them be better gift givers and when we do that they are much more appreciative of the gifts that they receive,” Stanczykiewicz said. “So [getting]gifts for other members of the family or [giving]gifts out to the community or hosting a holiday party where kid’s friends bring gifts that they can donate to the local community center shelter really helps our kids keep the whole gift aspect of the holiday in proper perspective.”
Teaching children to be appreciative of what they have is important as well so that they do not judge and compare themselves to their friends and families during the holidays.
“We really need to make sure our kids understand appreciation,” Stanczykiewicz explains. “Teaching them not to be focusing on what they don’t have and being grateful for what we have in our family increases and when we emphasize that we increase the likelihood that our kids can be grateful for what they’re receiving in addition to making sure that they are good gift givers during the holidays.”
Stanczykiewicz said this when travelling over the holidays parents should remember that while they may be able to handle a straight-shot trip, children are not always as tolerant of such long travel. Their psyche is not as matured as adults so they need stimulation. Stanczykiewicz suggests making occasional stops for bathroom breaks and stretching. Playing games or using electronics to watch movies are great ways to occupy the time.
“Its ironic we say we’re taking a break over the holidays but we’re more often busier during the holidays,” Stanczykiewicz said. “We need to make sure we’re not overscheduled in this time and we’re taking time to just hang out to be together and maybe it’s watching a ball game or a favorite holiday show on TV, enjoying a meal together or dessert together or going out and enjoying the winter scenes and decorations. Being together in relationship building in so many ways is the best gift that we can give our child. Those are the memories a child will remember long after a toy they were given.”
