SPECIAL MESSAGE TO MY READERS

I write this blog because I believe that children deserve to have adults in their lives who understand them and have tools to successfully care for them. When I started this blog in 2013, I used picture books as the source of ideas about how children grow up. I wrote about how children felt, thought, and acted in a picture book story. Then, I wrote about what that information teaches us about helpful ways to take care of children we care about. I expected that  knowing “what makes children tick” would mean those adults would help children grow into healthy, happy, successful, and responsible adults.

I still think it is true that adults knowing about how children grow and develop is what is best for children. However, in 2023, my focus will be on the adults who are doing the work of caring for and about children. My focus will be on helping my readers understand themselves better and become the persons they want to be. I will write about how adults feel, think, and act (“what makes adults tick”) so they can apply what they know about themselves to how they care for children.

I believe the better you understand yourself, the more successful you can be in taking care of children you care about. Your health, happiness, skill, and acceptance of responsibility is necessary for you to help children develop those same traits.

Please let me know whether this new approach is helpful to you. Also, feel free to ask any questions you might have. You can use the “What Do You Think?” button at the bottom of each post to communicate

TODAY’S POST ABOUT ADULTS:

GIFT GIVING

Now that a major gift-giving season has passed, below are some ideas you can think about for gift-giving in the future.

Do you worry about how your gift will compare to others being received? According to Dr. Julian Givi, marketing assistant professor at West Virginia University, how your gift compares is not the most important thing. That you cared enough to give a gift is what is most important. The next time you need to give a gift, don’t worry about how much it cost, how fancy it is, or whether it is exactly what the person has always wanted. Just make sure you express how happy you are to be giving the person your gift.

Do think you always need a special occasion to give a gift?  Giving a gift for no special reason is another way to let a person know that they are special in your eyes, which is the most important part of giving a gift.

Do you worry about knowing what to give as a gift?  You can trust yourself to know when something is right as a gift. If you see something that reminds you of someone you care about, pay attention to that feeling. Buy it when you see it and if need be, save it for an upcoming occasion.

Are wrappings important? They can be important because wrappings are another way to say you are happy to be giving the gift. Wrappings do not have to be expensive or store-bought. Things around the house can be added to a package to reflect what makes the person special – colors they like, interests they have, styles they like, etc.

What is the most valuable part of a gift?  The most meaningful thing we can give each other is our kind, appreciative words. You don’t always need a card. They are getting mighty expensive these days. Just adding a handmade note to the package or presenting it with a few words about what you like about a person is as good (perhaps better) than any store-bought card.

Bottom line: It is true that it is the thought that counts!