How to spend money received as First Communion gift?

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What is the most appropriate way for a child to spend money received as a gift for First Communion? His choice would be Legos or dollar store toys but that doesn’t really feel appropriate. And a child can only have so many religious books/statues/etc. Give it all to charity??? Put in savings??? Kind of seems cruel though to tell a little kid they can’t spend any of their gift money! Maybe take him to the religious store and let him pick out a couple things and save or donate the rest???
 
They can spend any way they wish. Let him buy a toy if he wants.
Don’t force donations or religious articles. Unless of course you want them to resent the Church and the best day of their young lives. 😊

It’s a GIFT.
He can do with it as he pleases.
 
Money is usually given for one of a few reasons: to put toward savings/education (usually around graduation), or the giver didn’t know what to give them (or if they did, couldn’t find the right thing, especially if it was a religious item), or so the giftee can chose for themselves what they want. The money was a gift so I don’t see why the child should have to give any of it to charity unless it’s their idea. I think buying legos are fine but if a religious store was accessible I would visit the store with the child and see if there was something that they wanted. This will work best if they have been to that store before and has had a chance to look at things. But if they don’t want a religious item I would not make him get something he doesn’t want with gift money. If he doesn’t have a any religious books, statues already he may not have developed an appreciation for them. I enjoyed getting books with stories from the bible or of saints because I already had some that I liked. My grandparents had a few statues in their home so they held a fascination for me. I think if you want a child to have statues and pictures give them as gifts.
 
Teach him about giving to charity…10%. Then let him buy a toy, and maybe put another 10% in a saving account. Congratulations to him as well!
 
It’s a gift. He’s a kid. Let him buy a toy. There is nothing wrong with kids having toys. God wants children to play and be happy.
 
pianistclare said:
They can spend any way they wish. Let him buy a toy if he wants.
Don’t force donations or religious articles. Unless of course you want them to resent the Church and the best day of their young lives. 😊

It’s a GIFT.
He can do with it as he pleases.
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This lady knows what she is talking about. Let him be a child.
 
Hmm ok. I didn’t think it would be appropriate but I’m glad I posted this because apparently I was misguided! He would enjoy religious statues etc. but he’d enjoy toys more at this point, because yeah, he’s a kid. I definitely don’t want to create resentment or negative connotations with such a special occasion!
 
pianistclare said:
They can spend any way they wish. Let him buy a toy if he wants.
Don’t force donations or religious articles. Unless of course you want them to resent the Church and the best day of their young lives. 😊

It’s a GIFT.
He can do with it as he pleases.
Click to expand...
👍
 
A big part of growing up is to learn to make your own decisions. And as kids get older, in a healthy family, they are given more and more freedom. eg instead of mom buying their clothes, they get to choose them.

I think to tell a kid how to spend money received as a gift (whether it be birthday or first communion) is NOT healthy. It is better to let children slowly get independence and parents to learn to slowly let go fo control
 
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with suggesting that he give some of it to a charity, however, there’s certainly nothing wrong with him buying a toy either.
 
Perhaps you can encourage him to save a little and then let him spend the rest as he pleases. I don’t think it would hurt to suggest, but not insist, that he give some to church or a charity, or perhaps save a little to purchase a toy to give to an underprivileged child at Christmas and buy a toy for himself. But just make it a suggestion. But there is nothing wrong with him buying a toy instead of a religious item.
 
Anglewannabe said:
A big part of growing up is to learn to make your own decisions. And as kids get older, in a healthy family, they are given more and more freedom. eg instead of mom buying their clothes, they get to choose them.

I think to tell a kid how to spend money received as a gift (whether it be birthday or first communion) is NOT healthy. It is better to let children slowly get independence and parents to learn to slowly let go fo control
Click to expand...
This. The realities of the world will close in soon enough. Let him be a kid.
 
acat said:
What is the most appropriate way for a child to spend money received as a gift for First Communion? His choice would be Legos or dollar store toys but that doesn’t really feel appropriate. And a child can only have so many religious books/statues/etc. Give it all to charity??? Put in savings??? Kind of seems cruel though to tell a little kid they can’t spend any of their gift money! Maybe take him to the religious store and let him pick out a couple things and save or donate the rest???
Click to expand...
As a kid I gave some to charity and bought lots of toys and saved some. Don’t think I bought anything religious.
 
Allegra said:
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with suggesting that he give some of it to a charity, however, there’s certainly nothing wrong with him buying a toy either.
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I agree with this, and in addition I think a suggestion to give to charity would work best if it’s already something regularly discussed in the family and something parents are setting an example with.

Not that we have this all figured out already - my oldest is only six - but even with the dimes he gets for his allowance we split them up into “spend,” “save,” and “give” jars. So it wouldn’t be weird for us to suggest that for gift monies, either. And with the spend money, we’re pretty lenient with it - as long as it’s not immoral, obviously dangerous/age-inappropriate, or really loud, then it’s OK.
 
acat said:
What is the most appropriate way for a child to spend money received as a gift for First Communion? His choice would be Legos or dollar store toys but that doesn’t really feel appropriate. And a child can only have so many religious books/statues/etc. Give it all to charity??? Put in savings??? Kind of seems cruel though to tell a little kid they can’t spend any of their gift money! Maybe take him to the religious store and let him pick out a couple things and save or donate the rest???
Click to expand...
If it’s a lot, save. If it’s a little, let him spend it how he wants. He’s a kid; don’t guilt him into giving it away.
 
I’d caution against making him buy only religious themed toys. I had a friend growing up whose parents really pushed religion down her throat at every turn. Not a healthy respect for her faith, but like everything had to be about religion at all times. No movies that weren’t religiously inspired, no toys that weren’t religious, no books that weren’t Christian, etc. As you might expect, she ended up resenting her parents and church for suffocating her and making her miss so many of the normal childhood experiences, and rebelled and became a strident atheist as soon as she went to college. If you apply too much pressure in one direction, there’s likely to be an eventual overcorrection.

All this to say, as long as the toy he wants to buy isn’t immoral in some way (“Johnny’s First S&M Set, Complete with Real Handcuffs and Ball Gags!”) then I’d say let him spend his money how he wants. You don’t want him to associate religion with the death of all fun.
 
I used to encourage splitting gift funds 1/3 to charity, 1/3 to spend as my daughter pleased, and 1/3 went into savings.
 
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