Imagine entering a store to buy all your Christmas gifts and you barely know your numbers? It doesn't occur to you that people wear different sized clothing, have different tastes in music and videos and may not necessarily like The Little Mermaid. You have no concept of the value of a dollar and don't understand that this gizmo costs way too much and that one won't last a week.
When your preschooler is shopping for his parents and siblings, he is this shopper. Our oldest child started talking about all the gifts she was going to buy each of us when she was barely out of diapers. I imagined a horrific trip to the store that would include lots of ,"that is too expensive" and "you only spend XYZ on this person, so you need to find another item that costs this much". Also, even a modest amount, like $5 per gift could really add up as our other children started shopping for everyone in the family.
We wanted our daughter to be able to give to others, thus taking some of the focus off getting. We also wished for her to experience the joy of selecting a great gift for someone you love. Thankfully, we have a Dollar Tree near our house. We were able to stroll through the store where she could pick anything she wanted to each family member. Later, she got to spend quality time with Dad as he lead her through the store to find a gift for me. Were we ever wowed by the awesome gift we got? Not really, after all it only cost $1. We were impressed by the time she took to really pick out something for each of us and the excitement on her face as we carefully removed the wrappings.
Our other children were allowed to shop in this manner from the time they were toddlers. Not only did we get to check off an item on our to-do list, these shopping trips forced us to do something that is difficult in the hectic days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We spent one-on-one time with each child! As our children have gotten older, each has decided to add to the $5.25 we provide for his Christmas purchases. I believe their early experiences have helped them make this transition. I pray each will be a joyful giver throughout his life. Just think, it all started with a few items from the Dollar Tree.
