My three year old son is just really getting into discovering all that is Christmas and what it's really about. Sure, he knows of Santa and what his job is, but we're also teaching him what the real Reason for this season is and how incredibly blessed we are for it.
Another tradition we've started with our little family is the Elf on the Shelf. I know, I know...there's a LOT of mixed emotions about these things and I kinda thought the concept was a little creepy myself, but then I realized how versatile this thing is. I mean, you can do ANYTHING with it. The kids look forward to the novelty of finding their elf in a different place, having either done something nice, just hanging out, or having made a big mess. (As ours did this morning with the toothpaste, but I'll get to that in a minute.)
My little dude wonders what he'll do next and his enthusiasm about having Buddy here made me realize that there's a great opportunity to be had here...the elves aren't just for entertainment or tricking your kiddos into being good for a couple weeks in order to get their Christmas gifts. They are great teaching tools! Use them to teach your children to be selfless. Use them to teach your children charity. Use them to teach your children Bible verses. Anything at all!
So far, our elf , Buddy, has just moved around the house and been found in different places. This morning, however...we found this: 
Yay. All I could think was, "Am I really making this mess for myself to clean up later?" Yes. Yes I did. See, I knew my little dude would get a kick out of seeing Buddy do something besides move. His reaction was a silent pause, and then a decision that Buddy was "acting ugly by wasting toothpaste." I laughed. My husband laughed. We have been working on good behavior vs. bad behavior and something is getting through that little head of his for him to discern that on his own.
In that moment, I decided to challenge myself and my family to do more for others this year, and making a regular habit out of it. We have so much to give, it's time to start giving, and this is going to be how we're going to do it.
Before you write me off as crazy, hear me out.
Any of you who are parents know that you can preach selflessness and charity (along with everything else), til you're blue in the face and will probably be met with resistance from your offspring. However, the minute it becomes someone else's idea, the cooler it is to do. That's the angle I'm going for here. I have lots of ideas, but I found this one and I think it's a good place to start:
I'm excited for this and for the opportunity to incorporate our little guest into a mission project for the family, instead of just a creepy little doll that appears to move around on its own and makes kids behave.
If you're an Elf on the Shelf person, I want to hear your ideas and what your family does with your elf. If you're not a fan of the elf, that's ok, too. I encourage you to find a way to start traditions of your own to teach your children that it's the right thing to help others and to love your fellow man. If you've already done that, let me know what your traditions are. Merry Christmas everybody!
No comments:
Post a Comment