The Perfect Gift to Give Your Child This Holiday Season: Your TIME

Sitting down to supper on Black Friday I was exhausted, and I hadn’t even gone bargain hunting! As soon as I collapsed into the chair, my son tried to start a conversation on a topic in which I knew he had no interest. When challenged, he admitted that he only wanted my attention.

Tired and wanting to simply eat in peace and quiet, I shot back by rehearsing my to-do list out loud. “It’s not that I don’t want to listen to you; it’s just that I am too tired from Thanksgiving and all the things I need to do next,” I explained. I listed the house cleaning, the blog to write, clothes to sort, Christmas presents to make, as I added calling a neighbor to verify the time and date of the local community-wide graham cracker and candy build-off, I stopped short as one of my mother’s favorite quotes came to mind.

“Kids spell love T-I-M-E.” Young children don’t always spell love in exactly same way that adults do. Although immensely important and definitely part of showing love, they seldom register the loving things you do for them like feeding, clothing, and sheltering them, the places to which you chauffeur them, or even the gifts you shower them with. Little ones most often spell love by the T-I-M-E you spend with them. Yes, I still needed to sort the four bags of hand-me-down clothes I got from my sister-in-law at Thanksgiving, but those could wait until tomorrow.

Even though it’s not my favorite topic for unwinding, I paused to talk with him about his planned creations for the upcoming graham cracker and candy build-off. Having studied the Science-Fiction genre in literature this semester, the kids were envisioning space ships sailing through outer-space.

Leaning against the kitchen counter I committed to tackling the problems of engineering space ships from frosting, pretzels, graham crackers, ice cream cones and assorted candy. From gummy bear landing parties to the colors of stars, we volleyed ideas back and forth in a rapid exchange of enthusiastic young voices.

Watching my children’s smiling and bright-eyed faces as the plans for their space vehicles came together, I realized it was not so much the taking them to the event that my kids love. It is the time spent encouraging them to dream and problem-solve, my efforts in supporting their feeling of success at bringing a project to completion.

This Christmas instead to trying to make the Greatest-Gifter Hall of Fame with the biggest most expensive item (that more often than not, we can’t even afford to give), let’s give presents wrapped-up with time and attention to those we love.

It’s not simply the matching Mama and Me Dishcloth Set my daughter is getting for Christmas, but the T-I-M-E we will spend washing dishes together. Even though I have to re-wash all her “clean” dishes and mop-up the water splashed on the counter while she plays in the sink. It’s the time we spend bonding together that counts, the relationship that’s welded over soapy water and “helping” Mama.

Contemplating my hectic holiday schedule, The Homesteading Hen

What relationship-building extensions will you add to your gifts this year?