If your house is anything like mine, you’ve already gotten the Christmas Wish List from your tweens and teens! The tradition of telling Santa what they want has now been squarely transferred to us and with every carpool conversation comes, “I hope I get ___________!” (Insert the latest electronic gadget here).

And just like our heavenly father who wants to shower good gifts on us, we want to shower gifts on our children.

“It’s Christmas! He’ll be so surprised! I can’t wait to see the look on his face!”  

“It’s the only thing she wants this year!  I have to get it.”

“Jessica’s parents have already bought her one, so I feel like we need to get one for Lindsay.”

And the list of lies goes on?

“What? List of lies? What’s wrong with getting our kids what they want for Christmas?”

NOTHING…maybe…

But as parents, we need to be thinking ahead of what our kids will DO with those electronic gadgets! 

Now, please don’t misunderstand me here. In our house, we have LOTS of electronic gadgets. Yes, we have gaming systems…and cell phones…and hand held computers. But my challenge to you is…given your kid’s age…maturity…predisposition for doing the wrong thing…THINK BEFORE YOU BUY.

What do I mean by that?

Matthew 7:11 says…

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Notice that the verse says that we “being evil”…

Our kids do stupid stuff…there is an “evilness” in all of us…even those cute little faces!

And there are apps for phones, and cameras, and internet accessibility that some tweens and teens are just not ready to handle.

“Does that mean you shouldn’t make the purchase?”

Not necessarily…

The real question is…”Are you giving a gift for your child to use as they desire because it is theirs?”

Or…”Are you willing to give the gift of responsibility to teach your tween or teen how to handle them appropriately?”

Have you thought about the boundaries that will need to be put around the device?

DARE YOU to think about giving your kid the gift the gift “that is good” rather than the gift that they want.

DOUBLE DARE YOU to share what boundaries you will put on your kid’s electronic Christmas this year.

Learning to take the potential negative impact to build positive character in my teens.

“Let go…and let God”

Debbie