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06 December 2011
I may get some hate mail about this one, but I feel a need to talk about one of the things that bugs me about this time of year and that is the sense of entitlement. It’s almost as if we feel that we are owed Christmas presents. If I feel like someone owes me a Christmas gift, is it really a gift?
Every year during our Christmas Show at church we collect toys to distribute to needy families. It is interesting to watch the kids when they notice all the toys on the table in the lobby. Many of them would walk up to the table and ask their parents if they could have a toy.
I understand that this is normal behavior for a child, but it caused me to ask myself some questions.
- What are we teaching are kids about Christmas gifts?
- Are we teaching them about giving or are we teaching them about getting?
- Do our kids feel like they are entitled to Christmas gifts?
“Pointing to one character trait that causes more misery in people’s lives than any other would be difficult. Certainly one of the top three or four destructive traits would be having a feeling of entitlement. Entitlement is when someone feels as if people owe things or special treatment simply because he exists.” Dr. Henry Cloud, Boundaries with Kids.
I’m not saying we should stop giving Christmas gifts but I am saying we can do harm to our children if we give too much. We can unknowingly create within them a sense of entitlement.
So, how do we teach our kids to have an attitude of gratitude instead of a sense of entitlement?
The first step in teaching our kids about gratefulness is to teach them about tithing and giving.
I find it amazing how many parents think we should not challenge children in the area of giving. I once received a lot of negative mail because I challenged our kids to “give their age” to a building project.
It's interesting to note that in the Bible, Jesus encouraged the widow woman for giving the little that she had. He didn't rebuke the people who took up the offering. If we don't teach our kids about tithing and giving they will grow up with a sense of entitlement.
Tithing is first base when teaching your kids to have a grateful heart. When you bring your tithe to God you are saying, "Thank You God! I recognize that everything I have belongs to you.”
Here is an object lesson that I use to teach kids about giving their tithing. All you need to teach this object lesson is a banana. It works at church and at home.
God Wants Your First Fruits - Click here
