So very special

One of the most important and fascinating part of being a child is that every day, everything can be miraculous. So let children create and believe in miracles. You can read a beautiful poem about this called "The Hundred Languages of Childhood" on the quotes page.

Don't over-gift; a pile of gifts completely destroys the appreciation and miracle of one gift. Special occasions should be special. Don't rob children of the wonder of special occasions by giving it to them every day. New toys, ice cream, christmas/halloween decor, chocolate bars, home-squeezed juice, eating out, etc. should not be part of everyday life. Special means out of the ordinary, a rare event or thing that deserves our extra attention.

I was in the habit of putting up Halloween decor in mid October and leaving it up until late November. I like Halloween:) My wife told me that I shouldn't do it because if the whole house is orange inside and out for a month and a half every year then it ruins the whole thing. After 5 years I gave in and now limit Halloween to 2-3 weeks. And it does feel better, I look forward to it more and miss it more when it's gone. Same with Christmas: lots of people put up a tree at the beginning of December and leave it until the end of January. I did this a few times and by mid-January I wished we didn't have a christmas tree at all and just wanted the space back. When I was a kid my parents put up the chirstmas tree on christmas eve while I wasn't home so it meant that coming home that evening was a really, super exciting thing! And the tree was gone Jan 6 every year. Two weeks of chirstmas miracle is better than two months! With some things, less is definitely more! These two dates, Dec 24 and Jan 6 never changed, which means that they also played a role in maintaining consistency, something to count on.

If "special" happens every day it is not really special anymore. If kids get everything all the time then what are you going to give them if you want to make them go "WOW!" The more you make "special" into an ordinary event, the more frequently you'll have to buy incresingly expensive stuff. Before you know it you'll only be able to please your 6 year old with a $500 piece of gadget and you'll have to buy a car to your 16 year old.