Better to Give Than Receive

We made a trip to Target today to pick up Molly's new glasses (Again!) and to shop for a birthday party Anna will be attending Saturday. We went to the toy section and I explained that we needed to pick out something for Allie - something she would like. Allie, of course has similar taste - princess dress up clothes, little ponies, etc. We strolled through the aisles identifying possibilities, then went back for the final choice. Annie had lots of great options, but settled on a Cinderella dress up outfit complete with shoes, purse, and tiara. Perfect choice, especially given that Annie and Allie dress up like princesses every time they play. Annie was VERY excited to give this gift to her friend. In the car I asked Moll if there was anything she saw that she would like for her upcoming b-day. True to form, Molly had no idea; Annie jumped in with what she would like. None of the appropriate things she'd thought of for her friend. "Mom, I want one of those Brat girls." Fabulous. Just what Annie needs.

When we came home Annie was obsessed with the gift. "I can't wait to see the look on Allie's face when she gets this!" "She'll just love this, Mommy!" "She will like my present the best, huh?" "She probably won't even like what (another friend's name) got her." Anna would NOT leave the box alone. She kept checking to make sure everything was in it, etc. Finally I decided that wrapping the present might make it less interesting. She, of course, had to be very involved with the wrapping process. Even with the present wrapped, she wanted to carry it around, keep it in her room - lots of bad ideas. We finally had to put a ban on Annie touching the gift anymore. It's very sweet to see her so excited to give a gift instead of receive one, though. It's nice to see actual progress in character development. (One-upping comments excluded). We'll see how the hand-off actually goes on Saturday. She still needs to make a card - but has to wait to get her markers back since she is banned from those as well due to making a bad decision about coloring on the dining room table.