Gifts We Desire to Give Our Children Part II

by Deborah Pace Rowley

Sometimes parenting feels like a slot machine. We keep putting in all our hard-earned coins and pulling all these handles and then we sit desperately hoping for a good outcome and judging our success or failure by how our kids behave. I don’t gamble but I still think that this perspective of parenting is flawed. We don’t have control of outcome, even if we wish we did. Our kids have the ability to choose. And their choices often make us look and feel bad. So if I can’t base my feelings of success or failure on their actions, what else is there? This is where the gifts come in. Lucky me! I am the giver and I am in control of all the things I give my children: both the tangible Christmas and birthday gifts and the intangible life lessons that I do my best to teach them. Of course, they can choose what they want to do with my gifts. But if I give these gifts will all my heart, I can be at peace.

These next six gifts are the gifts we felt our children would need to successfully LAUNCH and not live with dear old mom and dad FOR…ever.

7. The gift of meaningful relationships. We will give our children an example of a loving marriage, practice communicating respectfully and proper teaching about chastity and sex.

8. The gift of hard work. We will give our children the satisfaction of completing difficult tasks as well as teaching them skills in cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard work and home and car maintenance.

9. The gift of healthy habits. We will provide nutritious food for our children and will participate in physical activity as a family. We will help our children understand the reasons to avoid drugs and alcohol.

10. The gift of learning. We will support our children in their school work and help them develop a love of reading by sharing with them the best books. 

11. The gift of talents. We know that God gave each of our children talents. We want to give them the encouragement, support, and resources to explore interests in sports, music, art and other areas of the child’s choice.

12. The gift of financial teaching. We want to prepare our children to handle money responsibly, with experience making decisions about money, budgeting, saving and distinguishing between wants and needs.