Fleeting Gifts
During a recent visit to a toy store looking for the perfect
gift for a child, the insight I received gave me a very rude
awakening. A child is born with all kinds of gifts tucked right
in there with the cute little smile and the tiny toes and
fingers. There is creativity, inspiration, imagination, and fun.
It is all right there - just waiting to be encouraged, and
allowed to grow and mature. What really happens when family and
friends lavish gifts of the latest toy trends and gift ideas
that toy manufacturers insist are the "in" thing? These precious
and fleeting gifts are not nurtured and give the "food" they
need to become the basis for future careers, jobs, and
lifestyles. Instead, they allow the child to be a bystander and
"watch the world go by" - but not become a "mover and shaker" of
what is going on. In other words, the script, cast, and
everything in between has been scheduled, programmed, and packed
- all in one box. Children are the future of each and every one
of us - they will be the doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians,
cooks, clerks, parents, citizens, etc. No one is so isolated
that they will not be affected by the decisions and actions of
these children when they become adults. You can run, but you
can't hide from what the future will bring - and from those who
will bring it about - today's children. While a child may whine
and cry for the very latest in what the ads show as the "craze"
of the times, you are the purchaser, or the main ingredient in
the child oy experience. Maybe making a total about-fact is not
a reasonable choice for you and your child, but seek out a few
alternatives. If you buy a "pre-programmed" action figure,
vehicle, or play set, offset it with a few "standard" items.
Lincoln logs can still fascinate, art sets (whether clay, paint,
or pencil) can nudge that creativity, or games that allow the
child to think, react, and plan. Books, craft kits and building
blocks of all sizes, shapes, and forms, give hours of pleasure
and allow the child to become the "programmer", not the
"bystander." With the Holidays coming on in a hurry, think about
the "fleeting gifts" that will go away if they are not given a
chance to sprout, grow, and blossom. Look for ways to allow your
child to expand their imaginations and interact with their
playthings - create backgrounds, situatins, and results.
While the world rushes by with all kinds of things money can buy
for your child, don't rush them right out of their childhood.
Allow them the fun, freedom, and fascination that breeds
healthy, happy, and successful adults.
Those few precious years are just that-precious. They cannot be
retrieved or erased - only encouraged, motivated, and
celebrated. This holiday season, watch a child grow and become
all he/she was intended to be and become a part of the future -
a future for each and every one of us. ENJOY!