Birthday Party Greed

Your child has another birthday coming up. He has made a long list of all the presents he wants and is planning to invite everyone he knows to his birthday party to ensure that he gets all those presents. Plastic toys, ghastly super hero emblazoned t shirts and potty talking cartoon “novels” will be unwrapped in a frenzy, the only result being your child immediately forgetting who gave him what, and yet more junk spreading through out your house. How can you stop the birthday party gift giving bonanza?

Celebrate Your Child, Not the Presents

Change the focus of the birthday celebration. Make it less about getting gifts and more about actually celebrating your child. This is your child’s opportunity to feel truly special and proud of all he is accomplishing.

• Start by getting your child involved in planning the party. Have him choose the theme and pick his favourite foods and treats.
• Create a photo board with pictures of your child growing up as well as photos of special events. As background entertainment, play home videos featuring your child.
• Display trophies and awards he has earned. Did your child get great marks on his latest report card? Have it out for people to see!
• Have your child show off his talents he has been working on – playing a piano piece or singing a song, reading a story he has written or demonstrating a new karate move he has learned.
• Hang favourite art pieces your child has produced.

Take the Focus off Gifts

Use the birthday party to take the opportunity to teach your child about the joy of giving. Talk to him about what it means to want for nothing while opening his eyes to those less fortunate. Communicate with friends and family regarding birthday presents. Let them know you want to take the focus off gifts. Have a gift giving theme ready and clearly print it in the invitation.

• Have guests bring a set dollar amount in lieu of presents to the party. Half of the money will be donated to a charity; the other half will be used for a collective gift.
• Ask that guests bring generic wrapped gifts. Your child chooses three or four to unwrap and keep, the rest are given to a woman’s shelter or children’s aid.
• Forego gifts altogether and ask guests to bring non perishable foods or new toys to be donated to the local food hamper, books to be donated to the children’s section of your library, or supplies for the animal shelter.

Teach Your Child the Joy of Giving

Within days after the birthday party, while the excitement is still alive, accompany your child to the charity he has chosen to donate to and allow him to be the one to present the donated items or money. You want your child to learn that giving is an amazing feeling. Ask that the person in the organization to explain to your child what these donations will mean to those receiving them.

If your child is young enough to not yet know that birthday parties usually mean excessive amounts of gifts, it is a great time to start this giving back theme. An older child is usually mature enough to simply understand the concept. If your child has already experienced getting tons of gifts, you may need to ease into the idea of getting some and giving some. Just make the birthday party a time for your child to feel celebrated and special rather than just a day to get too many presents!

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