PLAYING SANTA.

He asked for a toy airplane this birthday, but will it take him to Stanford for higher education? She wishes for a princess doll, but have you done enough to ensure she looks like one on her wedding day? Your child may be 6 now, but time will drift by and he/she will be 16 soon! So, how do you fulfill their wish-lists that grow as quickly as them?

This post is a part of the 1001 Gifts Activity by HDFC Life in association with BlogAdda..  The rules are pretty simple; blog about the 5 things you would want to gift your child for their secure future and why.

Growing up, the most important thing my parents taught me was the importance of love over material comfort. Yes, money is important but sometimes we get too caught up in the process of making money that we forget the true purpose of earning it- to live a peaceful life. I am 23 and single now but when I do have kids, this is what I would like to gift them:

The gift of the joy of sharing

One common mistake parents make these days is to not cultivate in their kids the habit of sharing. When I say sharing, I don’t just to refer to kids sharing their food with their class mates (that is important too) but sharing with the society. Simply put, imbibe in your kid the habit of giving back to the society through charity. On their birthdays, motivate them to donate a portion of their birthday money to an organization. Even better, take them to one of the old age homes or home for the underprivileged and pay for the inmates’ lunch that day under your child’s name. The blessings and the joy received there is genuine and unmatched. To all the parents reading this post, if you haven’t already been doing this, start doing it from this year. It is but a small investment in moulding your child into an exceptional human being.

The gift of unmatched compassion and responsibility

Gift your child a pet! I’ve always been a dog person and trust me a dog is a friend for life, their compassion unmatched. If your child is old enough, make the pet your kid’s responsibility. Raising a pet will make them mature, instilling in them the qualities of love, affection, responsibility and friendship. And through everything, the good and the tough times, the dog will always be there by their side. And a sincere request from my side, if you are planning to get a dog please, please, please adopt an Indian dog. They are intelligent, adorable, less prone to sickness and badly in need of our support.

The gift of family and relations

Nuclear families have become the norm now so kids these days are forced to grow up sans their grandma’s food or their grandpa’s stories. As much as possible, don’t leave your parents or if completely unavoidable, make sure you meet them from time to time. For the sake of your children. Do not deprive them of these treasures.

The gift of confidence

Talk a lot to your kids, encourage them to participate in all activities in school. And whatever they do, always have positive things to say about it. Teach them the importance of looking at the brighter side of every effort. As far as I am concerned, it is the effort that matters and not the result. If you’ve done all the hard work and still faltered, there is very little you can do about it. Kids who are brought up in a positive atmosphere will grow up into confident individuals who will prosper in life. This to me is the best gift you can give your kid.

The gift of a secure future

As much as character is important, there isn’t much you can do with just character alone. Give your child the gift of a secure future, invest in a HDFC SL YoungStar Super II, a unit-linked child insurance plan (ULIP) designed to accumulate wealth for your child's future. With the assurance of money in their account, your children can pursue their dreams with that much more confidence.

These are my choices of gifts to give a child, if there is anything more feel free to add them in the comments section.

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Keep smiling.

Until next time,

ADIOS!