One of the most important thing to teach little people (anyone under 18) is to thank people.
One year when my nephew was 14, I
Over the years, our other set of nieces and nephew never took the time to thank us when we sent them gifts in the mail. We don't know if they received it or not, we are assuming they did. As a result, for the past two years, no presents were sent to them. I know it is spiteful, but why give gifts when there is no appreciation?
Our nephew and niece (his sister) has heeded to my word of wisdom very well. Every little thing we do they make sure they call and thank us for the gifts.
Letters are important, it makes people feel appreciative. I write thank-you notes when someone has done something nice for us. Whether it be the family who gave me three sack full of used baby clothes for our God son Brandon, the lady who heeded to my plea for a metal bed frame, or the gift card that hubby's aunt amd uncle gave us for a housewarming present. It's worth the .39 cents of stamp and a few minutes of my time.
I know I am no angel, but I do try. Hubby on the other hand does not try, he just can't. He has this thing call ADHD, so he's partially forgiven. So I do most of the writing and thanking, and he signs the card.
In this season of giving and receiving, remember the gifts you have received, and if it came in the mail, do take the time to reach out to the person as an acknowledgement that you received the special gift.
Merry Christmas
Quilt & Bitch
2 comments:
I have the same issues with my Nieces and Nephews. I have nine of them in four different families. Four of these children are under 7 years of age, but the rest are fully functioning teens. They are all spread across the US, most I only see once or twice a year. In the past twenty years of gifting them I can only remember getting one thank you note from a niece. Ironically she was thanking me for writing paper that I had sent her. My own children seldom write thank you notes, although my eldest will now if prompted. So I cant really complain too much. Sometimes I wonder if they have a sort of sense of entitlement to the birthday and holiday gifts. I have decided that 21 is the cut off age for them all. Unless they are getting married, there will be no more gifts from me.
Tracy
Hi Tracy,
Thanks for sharing your story. 21 is a generous age. But I don't think I could stop myself from giving something to our niece and nephew until they get a job. In this economy, that may be a while.
"...Have a sort of sense of entitlement..." I like that. That says it all.
Q&B
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