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Brad and Angie: Teaching the Spirit of Giving
December 18, 2008 at 4:27 PM by Cafe Kierna - Comments (6)
photo by Cynthia93933
There is something about those Jolie-Pitts that's just darn impressive. Angelina and Brad have created a Christmas tradition that doesn't involve exorbitant spending and mounds of splashy toys and gifts. Instead, "The rule is
that everyone's got to make something for someone else, you got to put
time into it. Then, when they give to each other, it's really sweet," says the proud dad, according to celebrity-babies.com.
It helps that they've avoided letting their brood: Maddox Chivan, 7, Pax Thien, 5, Zahara Marley, 3 ½, Shiloh Nouvel, 2 ½, and fraternal twins Knox Léon and Vivienne Marcheline, 5 months, watch American commercials. I've noticed myself how commercials set in motion a series of "I wants" for most kids. I want this, I want that! I try to only let my kids watch Noggin and PBS Kids in particular, precisely because they don't do the commercial thing.
Most kids see the holidays as a time of receiving gifts. But increasingly, parents are recognizing that creating anticipation and expectation about getting material things, isn't always the best lesson. The spirit of giving and sharing is perhaps the most important value of the holiday season, no matter what you celebrate.
How do you teach your kids that giving is as cool as getting?
Comments:
I am still baffled that anyone takes anything these two home-wrecking publicity hounds do seriously. Yes, this is an important lesson for all kids, but they are hardly the only examples of it (if in fact they are at all).
Regarding the question on how to teach our kids that giving is "cool"; it has never really been a greedy gimme thing in our house. The kids have always thought of each other and others, not just at Christmas. Every year our kids have taken it upon themselves to make something for the others and the littler ones have learned this from the older ones and take great care and pride in there secretness up until the big day, all special days included. They even give toys that they love because a sibling really likes it. My son gave my daughter one year a big stuffed rabbit; she was always asking to borrow it to make her feel safe at night when she slept. That was two years ago and she still sleeps with it every night.
I think the biggest thing is that we have never made a big deal about gifts for ourselves. We always discuss what we can do for someone else. I think this sets the example that the children themselves learn to model. By watching us enjoy the giving they too learn to enjoy this part. My 7 yr little girl had a friend yesterday who was celebrating a bday. She spent the past two weeks making things for her and putting them in a bag she decorated without suggestions or encouragment from anyone. She was grinning from ear to ear when she gave this gift to the littel girl. It is something that makes me proud as a parent to know that i have given them one of the greatest gifts already; the gift of selflessness.
I agree with NorahSethsMommy. I'm so tired of people putting Brad and Angelina on a pedestal!
Every year my DD makes a craft with me to hand out to the whole family. DS will be starting this next year as well and im introducing both to making gifts for each other for Christmas.
I also let the kids hand out the presents to others when we open gifts.
My daughter enjoys making crafts for her both sets of grandparents and aunts. She also loves going into the stores with me and picking out what to buy daddy for xmas from her. And she loves helping to pass out the gifts to everyone else.She is 6. Will be 7 this Aug.
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Oh, definitely, I feel children shouldn't have the "gimme" philosophy about Christmas gift-giving, and I also feel that some parents go WAY overboard indulging that greediness. It's nice to see that other parents are considering alternative traditions.
JoyeAustin Dec. 18, 2008 at 9:19 PM