Kids tend to be pretty blunt, which isn’t a bad thing — until it comes time for them to open birthday gifts. I remember struggling to hide my own feelings about presents I didn’t like as a child and feeling like I wasn’t that convincing. (Jon would tell you that I still am a terrible liar.) So, I loved reading this great idea from “_Parents_”:http://parents.com/ magazine:
bq.. Before a party, we all go around the house and collect things that make horrible presents. Some past winners have been old kitchen sponges and a half-used bar of soap. Then we wrap the goodies and give them to each other. The challenge is to say something nice about whatever you open. “The green of that sponge matches my shirt!” If your kid can think of something nice to say about a slimy sliver of soap, he’ll have no problem being gracious about getting mittens instead of the toy he really wanted.
— “The Fun Mom’s Guide to Discipline,” _Parents_, June 2007, p. 68.
p. 
I look forward to trying this out with Lucy someday!
p{color:gray}. Photo: Here’s Lucy opening a present with unfeigned enjoyment on her first birthday.
What a great idea! We were very lucky at Kaia’s 4th birthday party this weekend. Every gift she got was “what I always wanted” even when she’d never seen or heard of it before. I’m sure we won’t always be so lucky though.
Lucy looks like she’s really enjoying the wrapping paper!