Welcomeeeee back to Mama Monday!!!

Today, I want to share with y’all one of my absolute favorite things to do with my little cub! Well, reallyyyyyyy one of my favorite things to do in the whole world, ever and always.

I LOVE GIFT GIVING.

Like, loooooove it.

I love to try to find the perfect prezzie for someone - to reallyyyy think about something that would bless them or solve a problem or something that they would never be able to buy on their own. I love the brainstorming, I love the researching, and I love the buying. And then I looooooove the gifting.

Intentional gifting has been something that I have so wanted to cultivate in the hearts of my kiddos. I want them to be apart of the process and learn how to think about the person that they are gifting to. I want to condition their hearts to be quick to give and, hopefully one day, be JUST as excited about giving something away as they are when they receive a gift.

Here are a few ways that we cultivate intentional gifting in our home :

Prepare their hearts.
Chat EXTENSIVELY and REPEATEDLY about the upcoming event. If they have a friend’s birthday party coming up, talk about it often.
“What does it mean to have a birthday?”
“Wow!!! How cool is that?! God has made them a whole year older! That is so worth celebrating!”
“How can we show them we love them?”
“How can we celebrate them?”
Start brainstorming ways to give.
We talk A LOT about this! We talk A LOT about everything, actually! Even before Aslan knew how to talk on his own, we made it a point to show him how to talk by literally just talking. It is important to talk to our kiddos and other adults around us in a way that we actually want them to talk. We need to use phrases and words that we actually want them to use. They learn SO MUCH from us!!!
Anyway, to brainstorm ideas, we usually talk over and over about their friend. Who are they? What are some things that you see him/her playing with at school? What are some things that you think he/she may enjoy? Can you think of anything that you would want to tell them in a card?
If you decide to buy something, make shopping for their buddy a super exciting experience!
If we have a birthday party, we usually plan a shopping day (even just at Walmart) for a Saturday! It just feels special when it is separate from our grocery trip! We talk about picking out the perfect treat for their friend the whole way there, as we walk through the store we continue to brainstorm ideas, and we really explore ideas of what that friend may enjoy. I think it is so important to really believe that your little is capable to being excited about giving! We need to empower them and fight for them to be able to make the choice to give instead of get! We do not combine a treat for Aslan on the same day as a shopping trip for a friend just because we want him to practice and condition his heart to be excited about BOTH!
Be okay with PRACTICING, Mamas! Be confident! Just because they get upset and pitch a fit one time (or maybe 10), don’t give up!!! Like with anything in my life, my heart NEEDS practice to learn! I need grace! I need repetition! Stick to your guns with grace and gentleness for your little and trust that, in the long run, they WILL see the bigger picture and they WILL understand and join in! Empower them to understand by believing they can!
Continue the excitement of gift giving in the wrapping!!!
This is definitely MY ALL TIME FAVORITE PART. You remember my first post on ‘reflection in the little things?’ Well, I am SO passionate about making the seemingly little tasks or to dos something that can last and hold deeper meaning. Rather than quickly wrapping a prezzie just to “get it done,” we try to budget time for wrapping on the day of the event, or sometimes the day before! I believe that this is KEY to our kiddos feeling a part of the giving. When Aslan has played a role in wrapping, he ALWAYS feels excited to give! He feels ownership and is proud to carry the gift and pass it off to the recipient. We did this for the first time at Christmas 2018 when he was barely over one year old and had NO IDEA what was inside any package, but that little cutie carried every. single. gift. to each family member with pride and ownership!
We use the following to wrap all of our gifts :
- Kraft Wrapping Paper
- Dot Markers or Finger Paint - dot markers FOR THE WIN if you are in a hurry (messssssss freeeeee)
- tulle because, well, tulle is SO FUN
- alphabet stamps - we always stamp the recipients name on the package or card! Alsan also loves to stamp his name: “A - S - L - A - N” as he always reminds us.
- stamp pad
- fun packaging tape - sometimes kraft paper needs a little extra hold (especially when the things you are wrapping are kiddo toys in all shapes and sizes!)

+++ It is a good idea to keep these things separate from your “everyday” craft items to make them special! Maybe in a “giving box” that they only get to pull out when preparing a gift for a buddy! Here is one great storage for that!

We make wrapping the culmination of all of the excitement of giving! While we wrap and paint, we continue to talk about our friend and what we love about them and why they are worth celebrating and how much they will love the present and how kind it is to give and how fun it is to give and on and on and on!

Mama, you may feel repetitive and tired and like ordering on amazon and throwing it in a gift bag would have been a whooooooole lot easier (and sometimes I have to do this and that is fiiiiiiiine!!!). BUT, let’s use EVERY opportunity that we can to cultivate giving in our littles.

Let’s coach meaningful conversation and affirmation. Let’s empower them to make choices that bless others. Let’s believe that they are kind and call them into that. Let’s fight for their character years down the road and not just bow to convenience.

By the grace of God, our little people will become BIG leaders and lovers.

Being a mama has CHANGED ME. From the very second that my first little cub came into the world - actually, from the moment that my heart yearned to have him and pleaded for the chance to be a mama - it has changed me. My mind and heart hold endless thoughts, reflections, and perspective shifts from the day in and day out experiences, duties, tasks, opportunities, and relationship that is called being a Mama.

What’s on the forecast this month for Mama Monday’s -

Mama Monday - How to Cultivate Intentional Gifting in Kiddos