365 Manners Kids Should Know

Giving and Getting
OCTOBER 11
Gifts
Children love to get gifts—so much so that they may break a fundamental rule of good manners and ask for them. Their early gilt
giving birthday gifts to friends) is sometimes done with a hint of
reluctance, How they wish they could just keep the gift them.
selves! Or you might find yourself buying duplicate items—one
[or your child to give away and one for him to keep.
As your child gets older, getting and giving gifts will take on
more meaning. ¡kil begin to realize that he should give gifts in a
similar price range as hîs friends: he shouldn’t outspend others.
Nor should he ever feel obligated to buy a gift that hurts your
íamily budget. Ii’s more thoughtful to buy a gift that reflects the
interests of the other person than to spend a lot of money
Guts are given lo mark special occasions—birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, Valentine’s Day—or they may be given just as
a token of friendship and love. A girl may bring her mend some
beautiful shells when she returns home from a beach vacation, A
boy can oiler his buddy .in enlarged and framed snapshot of the
two of them. These gills should always be given out of sincere
affection and regard for the other person.
Your child should never use a gilt to try to influence another
person. For example, one elementary-school girl craved the
Friendship of another girl in her class and repeatedly gave many
gifts—money candy desserts—trying to bribe the other girl into
friendship. She didn’t understand that you cant buy friendship.
The child who received the gifts felt torn inside. Of course she
liked getting gifts, but she didn’t like the obligation she began to
feel. Help your child understand that it isn’t truly a gift if the
other person doesn't feel good about it.