Gregory Keer is a multi-award winning syndicated columnist, educator, and on-air expert on fatherhood. He is the publisher of FamilyManOnline.com, one of the most widely read fatherhood sites. His Family Man® column appears in publications across the country. He contributes to PBS, the Fox News Channel, Washington Post Radio, USA Today, Newsday, Disney’s Family.com, and EducationWorld.com. As an educator, Keer teaches film and history and serves as a dean of students for a high school in California. He and his wife are the proud and frequently outsmarted parents of three sons. Keer can be reached at www.FamilyManOnline.com.
familymanonline submitted a way to: Connect with family
way to be well created 12.08.10
How can we tone down the materialism and play up values?
During a holiday time when commercials, newspaper ads, and doe-eyed children bombard us with the "Buy something or your kids will hate you," we do buy our kids a bunch of toys and games. But we also try to get creative with other gifts that have more personal value to them.
One thing we do is to give our kids $15 each for them to give to any charity they wish. Our younger ones go for nature and wildlife organizations while our big guy wants to help people who need books. When literature comes in via email or snail mail, we have them read it so they can follow the good their choices bring on an ongoing basis.
Another gift option we use is giving something that is personal to my wife or me. I have given out cherished baseball cards, treasured T-shirts, and even an old toiletry kit. These are always wrapped and come with a story we tell about why the item is important to us. I’ve even been the recent recipient of this kind of gift as my step-mom and dad gave me my father’s original office phones from the early ‘60s.
One last suggestion is personalized gift certificates that say things like, "This Coupon Good for One Free Movie with Dad" or "This Entitles You to a Double-Scoop Ice Cream to Be Redeemed with Mom." This is cheap monetarily, but holds the value of experience we know our kids will remember.
One thing we do is to give our kids $15 each for them to give to any charity they wish. Our younger ones go for nature and wildlife organizations while our big guy wants to help people who need books. When literature comes in via email or snail mail, we have them read it so they can follow the good their choices bring on an ongoing basis.
Another gift option we use is giving something that is personal to my wife or me. I have given out cherished baseball cards, treasured T-shirts, and even an old toiletry kit. These are always wrapped and come with a story we tell about why the item is important to us. I’ve even been the recent recipient of this kind of gift as my step-mom and dad gave me my father’s original office phones from the early ‘60s.
One last suggestion is personalized gift certificates that say things like, "This Coupon Good for One Free Movie with Dad" or "This Entitles You to a Double-Scoop Ice Cream to Be Redeemed with Mom." This is cheap monetarily, but holds the value of experience we know our kids will remember.
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