We want it All – and We want it Now

My usually quiet, polite nine-year-old suddenly morphs into a “gimmee monster” at holiday time. He wants everything he sees on TV and he whines up a storm everytime we step foot inside a store. How can I tame this case of the “gimmees”?

From the time kids are old enough to chew on the TV remote control, they’re subjected to a dizzying number of advertising messages—messages that are aimed at selling them anything and everything under the sun. And because the frequency and intensity of these messages tends to get cranked up during the holiday season—hey, it’s prime gift-buying season, after all!—it only makes sense that your child is feeling some of that pressure to have the latest—but not necessarily the greatest—new toy.

The best way to deal with this particular problem is to give your child permission to add anything he wants to his holiday wish list. Sometimes just knowing that he can ask for everything under the sun is all it takes to nip the gimmees in the bud. Just make sure he knows upfront that there’s a world of difference between a wish list and an order form. You’re giving him permission to pass along a list of possible gift ideas—not promising to wear out the numbers on your credit card trying to track down each and every item.

And while your kid is in list-making mode, you might want to encourage him to start giving some thought to the types of gifts he would like to make or buy for other people. Switching the emphasis from receiving to giving can help to stop the gimmee monster dead in his tracks. You might also encourage your child to pick out a toy for the toy drive and to help you to collect some canned goods for the food bank, something that can really help to open your child’s eyes about how many people in your own community are truly in genuine need—and how much he already has.