Children who give you gifts need to be honored. How often have you been handed a tiny flower, a nondescript rock, or a bit of cracker and been somewhat flippant about it?

Pay attention to your reaction.

It is worth savoring the moment. Make it special by making sure you acknowledge the gift and them.

Thanks may be sufficient, but I’d like to suggest you take it a bit further. A few suggestions include:Oh that’s nice. Oh my goodness, I love it. Thank you so much. How kind of you. Aren’t you sweet? Thank you for thinking of me.

Include a response that builds them up and enhances their ability to share.

We want our children to be givers. We want them to find joy in gifting. We want our children to be thoughtful and generous. This is a given.

To that end, I am reminding you this week to do what you can to promote them and cherish their demonstrations of love. Err on the side of glee.

Be aware of the treasure you are holding. This is the best response. Children know if you mean it when you thank them.

See it as their demonstration of love in physical expression. What can be better than that?