Kare11
4 tips for raising generous, caring children
“Mom Enough” podcast host Dr. Marti Erickson suggests changing “what do you want” to “what will you do” for others.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Every holiday season, parents and caregivers often find themselves asking children what they want for Christmas; but developmental psychologist and co-host of the Mom Enough podcast, Dr. Marti Erickson, stopped by KARE 11 Saturday to instead suggest families ask kids what they plan to do for others.
“At every age, from toddlers to teens to the elderly, people are healthier, happier and more confident when they realize that they can contribute something of value to their family, their school, their community,” Dr. Erickson said. “When these experiences of contribution begin very early in life (when a child’s sense of self is first developing), there is a lasting impact on the child’s learning and development. Children learn, ‘I am valuable, I contribute.’ When families reach out to their community together, they reap benefits as individuals and they strengthen their family relationships.”
Dr. Erickson offers these four tips for nurturing generosity in your kids:
Help your child choose age-appropriate ways to give gifts to family members
“Start by asking your child what they would like to give — or do — as a gift for a parent, sibling or other family member,” Dr. Erickson suggests. “If a child gets an allowance and saves money, this might mean choosing a favorite treat, book, or other affordable gift. Or it could be a nontangible gift, such as a ‘gift certificate’ for helping mom fold laundry for the next week or for doing your sister’s household chores the next weekend.”
Let your child do meaningful age-appropriate tasks for holiday gatherings
“Decide as a family how each person will contribute to family gatherings during the holidays,” Dr. Erickson said. “For example, helping get the house ready beforehand, taking guests’ coats, making place cards, setting up a play area and sharing toys with other children. Help kids see through the eyes of your guests, asking themselves what guests would enjoy and how they could help make that happen.”
Choose a service project for your family to do together
“There are countless opportunities – sponsoring a family for the holidays, stocking food shelves or serving meals, doing clean-up on a highway or in a park, preparing gift boxes for refugee families or members of the military and their families,” Dr. Erickson said. “Start small, think about making service a part of your family’s holiday traditions. Then, as you reap the benefits, think about carrying the tradition throughout the year.”
Choose a charity to support as a family, knowing every little bit counts
“As a family, learn about charities in your areas of interest and decide on one to support this year. No contribution is too small and each family member can contribute as able,” Dr. Erickson said.
John’s display draws hundreds of people every night.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — We’re all familiar with the lore of Santa’s elves.
But at the head of this workshop in St. Paul is John Pihaly. He has collected 30 Dayton’s Christmas Display Characters from 10 of the old shows and restored them to recreate those iconic scenes.
“My wife was quite shocked,” laughed Pihaly. “I brought home 24 characters originally, and had them all set up here in the garage. I said, Honey, look what I did!”
“I always laugh, and everyone always says, what did you contribute?” Lindsay, his wife, said. “And all I can say is, I lived with these elves for the past year, strewn throughout the house. That was my contribution!”
But lucky for John, Lindsay has warmed up to the animatronics and covered up porch which houses the displays.
“He wanted to bring the magic alive, not just for us, but for an entire community,” he said.
Pihaly had smaller displays with a handful of figures in 2020 and 2021, but for the past few years he has dedicated hours into this display. He has consulted other collectors, and even former Dayton employees on how to perfect the art of restoring the figures.
He also had to create all the sets from scratch.
“The stories we share are all very similar,” he said. “It was a magical place to go and be.”
Every night he gets asked if folks can donate to him and his work, but he directs them to fundraising efforts for Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army. He has a box for donations in his yard.
Hundreds of people visit his home at 1887 W Saunders Ave. in St. Paul every night. The display will be alive from 5 to 9 p.m. every evening until Christmas Day.
The National Retail Federation expects 157 million consumers to shop on the Saturday before Christmas.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — On the Saturday before Christmas, many admitting to procrastination dashed to find their last-minute gifts.
“This was the only day we had,” Carol Schindler said at the Mall of America.
Dave Lafond embraced the holiday hustle as a family tradition. “It’s fun and chaotic,” he said.
They’re two among the 157 millions consumers around the country expected to shop on this Saturday alone, according to the National Retail Federation.
“With a shortened window between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, consumers will be hitting stores and shopping online to get those final gifts and to take advantage of special promotions and deals,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said in a press release.
With four days left until Christmas, anything is possible if shoppers walk fast enough. Hundreds of gift-getters spirited fast passed Douglas Ness who stopped for a much-needed Cinnabon break.
“I’ve got all mine done,” he said. His granddaughter, meanwhile, had yet to complete her shopping.
Until his wife passed away three years ago, Ness said he would shop for the holidays with her. “One of the first things we did is get these Cinnabons over here.”
His holiday tradition continues with his granddaughter. The cinnamon treat comes with crossing presents off her Christmas list, finally.
The Minnesota State Patrol patrol says Jay Patrick Smith pulled over near Babcock Trail in Inver Grove Heights and was working on his truck when it fell on him.
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. — A truck driver is dead after being pinned under his semi alongside a busy Twin Cities interstate late Friday.
The Minnesota State Patrol website says 51-year-old Jay Patrick Smith had pulled his rig over on westbound I-494 near Babcock Trail in Inver Grove Heights just before 9:45 p.m. to work on it when the accident happened.
Smith was performing maintenance when the 2007 Freight Liner fell and pinned him underneath.
First responders lifted the truck and rushed Smith to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The State Patrol has not yet released the driver’s hometown.
