Children believe everything
they see on TV and the advertisers know this. According to the American
Psychological Association, companies spend about $12 billon per
year targeting the youth market, and an average child watches more
than 40,000 television commercials per year.
The mini bursts of commercials interspersed with
television programs feed right into children’s short attention
spans. Young children are unable to separate reality from fiction.
When my daughter was four, she saw an ad for an electronic reading
product that claimed, “Nemo will come alive for your child.”
An animated Nemo sprang from the books and interacted with the children
reading the book. My daughter squealed with delight, “Let’s
get this! Nemo comes alive!” I had to stop and explain how
that was not real and why advertisers made that claim.
If your children are watching television and chime,
“Oh, I want that!” after each ad, you know it’s
time to put the brakes on their viewing.
Setting Limits – It’s important to
set a budget for gifts for each child. It’s easy to go overboard
with holiday sales and internet deals. However, decide on and discuss
these guidelines with your child. For example, “Remember you
got a big gift for your birthday, so we’ll give you two smaller
gifts for Eid.”
Overindulgence teaches children to not value the gift in hand and
keep looking for more.
Learning to Give - My parents
always insisted on homemade cards and gifts. So, we were challenged
to think of creative gifts every year. Start by making a list of
recipients and allow your child to come up with ideas.
Arts and crafts stores offer inexpensive kits and the internet
can spark many ideas. Last year, my daughter and I made ornaments
to decorate our gifts. We twisted pipe cleaners into candy canes
and wreathes. It was a simple project, but she was very proud of
her efforts.
Gifts don’t have to be handmade. Work with your child to
select photographs for a personalized calendar or album. Have your
child write and perform a skit or song.
Making gifts for family and friends will allow your children to
be proud of their accomplishments and understand the act of giving.
In addition, your children will remember your collaborative efforts
and time spent together.
Create Memories - Let the holidays
be about family time and creating traditions. After the big family
dinner, the family should do an activity together. Take the kids
ice-skating or even on an outing downtown to see decorations. Look
through the year’s collection of photographs and compile a
“Year in Review” album.
In the kitchen, make some holiday treats. This
could be your mother’s recipe for laddoos or a new
pumpkin cookie recipe from the internet. It doesn’t matter
what you make—it is more important that your child is involved
in the process of making and sharing.
The Spirit - Teach your child
to give outside of your own family. Encourage a generous spirit
by getting them involved in donating or volunteering. Allow your
child to select toys for donation boxes. Let them be aware of children
who are less fortunate in the world. If your children are older,
enlist them in volunteer activities such as food drives through
your local South Asian association.
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