Hello heroes of the world! Who does not know it: Soon Christmas is just around the corner and as an aunt, grandpa, grandma, uncle, etc. you no longer know what to give the children. They already have so many toys and the rooms are just overflowing. My nephew Roy and my niece Lazzy don't know what to do with all the stuff and the products are not even durable. The throwaway society we live in at the moment is mainly good for the economy, while the environment suffers. My sister Rodra often has to throw away toys from the children because they break so quickly.
In addition, there is often a clear separation between girls and boys in the department stores. If I justly want to buy both kids the same product, I usually find it very difficult to find a neutral gift. Nowadays, the industry usually differentiates between blue and pink when it comes to gender colors. There is hardly any escape from the clichés, with which most of the companies are happy. After all, the kids don't know any different these days. From my point of view, gifts are a sign of attention. But the latter can be shown in different ways and does not always have to be conveyed with material objects. Especially at Christmas time, it should be about affection and love. Children remember if you have done something with them. It plays a big role that one spends time with them, listens to them, responds to their worries and needs and is simply there for them. Often, many people think that affection can be compressed with gifts. But a child needs more than food, a roof over their head, clothes, etc.! That is why I try to do as much as possible with the children, to show them new worlds, to teach them to be open to the colorful world. In times of many clichés and stereotypes, I find it even more important to question these stereotypes: Do I want to adapt the typical gender characteristics that society prescribes? Do I like it?
Not just following the mainstream takes a lot of courage, but I want to be a role model for the kids and want to show: stand by your opinion, because suppressing instincts doesn't make people happy in the long run. I want my nephew and niece to be able to decide for themselves what they want to be, be it what they wear, play, eat, what sport they play or how they behave. I want their self-confidence to grow so that they can make important decisions later on. They should have the courage to trust their instincts and if necessary go against the mainstream.
I think it is important to support children at a young age to find their way and to give them the opportunity to think about the clichés and their imitation and to form their own opinion of things. Whether someone decides to swim for or against the current is not so important. It is more important that the children are happy with their decision and that they have given themselves space to think about it. But now I have digressed enough. Back to the topic of gifts. In addition to time, I would also like to give the children items that last longer from time to time. Quality and sustainability are important to me. In addition, I want my gifts to encourage children, stimulate them to think and introduce them to topics in a playful way. Often it is stories that convey a message to children. For this reason, I will perhaps the next few days times in online stores or bookstores rummage around, whether I find the right Christmas gift.
Of course, I would be interested to know what you think about it? How do you do it with gifts? Feel free to write me a comment here or via Instagram.
In this sense, I wish you a wonderful pre-Christmas season and do not let yourself be stressed. Yours
P.S.: Have you seen the free gifts under RoLa Heroes?
For more pictures of my experiences with RoLa (nephew & niece) feel free to visit my Instagram profild.