My kids each received a $50 American Express Gift Card from a good friend of mine. What I love most about my kids having gift cards is that for a brief period of time, the “Can I have that?” nagging turns into, “Mom, can I buy that with my gift card?” I typically reply, “If that’s how you want to spend your money, then let’s see how much it cost.” From there, we compare prices, discuss how badly the item is wanted, and calculate how much money will be left on the card after a purchase. Trust me, my kids become discerning shoppers when they have to cough up their own cash.

My son Matthew, in particular, constantly “needs” sports gear. If he sees a new sport, he wants to play it (live it, breathe it). So when kids at school started showing up with lacrosse gear, I knew the request to buy a stick, shirt, shorts, ball, and whatever else is part of the lacrosee layette would follow. As an athlete myself, I get it and like that he’s so passionate about sports. But as a mom to three kids, there’s a limit to how much I can spend on his various interests.

Sure enough, he needed a lacrosse stick. Lucky for me, he still had money left on his gift card so he could buy it himself. Lucky for him, his little brother wanted in on the game as well. So we took a little trip to the sporting goods store and the boys suited up. An hour later when they headed out to the front yard to play, I couldn’t help but repeat a thank you to my girlfriend for the gift cards and a thank you to my Heavenly Father for sending me this boy.

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