This conversation can help your child recognize the choices we make everyday in what and how we express what is important to us. How we can ‘act’ grateful because we appreciate the efforts and circumstances of others in our lives.
Can we talk about those times when we get gifts that we really don’t like? Mention some times when you were growing up when that happened? Ask them about when they have felt that way?
What we actually feel may not be the most important thing at the moment. Being a good and happy human being means living with one another – respecting and supporting one another.
Sometimes ‘we’ is more important than ‘me.’
Lots of times the gifts people give are more like gestures of love. They are little things that say “I thought of you on this special day.” THAT is the real gift – thinking of you and acknowledging how special you are to them.
So, even if the actual gift seems disappointing, it’s always important to remember why they gave it to you. And for that we must always show gratitude. Like we mean it. That gives you a super-power – to make someone you care about feel special too.