A Lesson in Giving...Or Not?

'Tis the season! After a weekend full of shopping, list making, and decorating, it can officially be said that we are very wrapped up in the holiday season. With all the ads and commercials for children right now, it's not surprising that my sweet cherubs definitely have a bad case of the Gimme's/Iwannit's/Buythat's.

You know, "oooohhh a new Dora doll, Momma Gimme that!", or "Hey that's a Car's race track...Iwantit!" and "I've never seen one of those before. Can we Buythat?" Other symptoms include tantrums, red faces, tears, and stomping of feet.

This has led Scott and I to be very purposeful about teaching Delanie and Pax the gift of giving. Delanie, I am happy to say, has really grabbed onto the idea, and really has compassion for people who have nothing. She has done very well this year picking out presents for other children. I really think it is in her nature to be generous. She always has been pretty good about sharing, and offering her things to others. Oh sure, she has had a few episodes of stinginess, but she is only 4.

Paxton, on the other hand, is in a different boat than his sister. Again, I completely understand that his age is playing a VERY large role in this...most 2 year olds are all about self. I got a good dose of this earlier this season at Super T.

Scott, however, did not get to be apart of that wonderful shopping experience. He could not truly grasp where Pax stands on the giving issue. Plus, like any good parent, he saw a weakness in Pax (a lack of generosity), and wanted to help mold his heart.

So armed with a wonderful plan to take Pax to Toys R Us to buy his sister a Christmas gift that he picked out by himself, my husband was off to shape my son into a boy brimming to the top with generosity. Although I warned him on the way out of the door that this may not be all he was hoping it was going to be, Scott and Pax were off on a mission....2 very different missions.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how this ended up. Scott came home empty-handed. Pax came home in tears, and completely un-molded. Apparently, there was this motorcycle that caught the little man's eye before they got to the girl section of the store. It's been 2 days, and he is still talking about the motorcycle. Poor Scott, he really didn't know what he was up against when he decided it would be ok to allow him to sit on it for just a minute.

Yup, we are treating a SEVERE case of the gimme's this year. It looks like it's a long lingering case...probably will last through the rest of this holiday season. We are hoping for a cure within the year.