Kaitlyn was invited to her First Birthday Party!

So one of the many cute little girls in Kaitlyn's dance class McKenna has invited Kaitlyn to her Birthday at the dance studio where they take classes together. Kaitlyn is so excite to be attending her first Birthday Party. We have been discussing what she wants to wear because they get to come dressed like little Princess. The parent's giving the party has asked each guest to bring a donation for the Akron Children's Hospital instead of a gift for the Birthday Girl. I really thought that this was a wonderful idea on the part of the parent's. So I started racking my brain to what would be a good gift to buy to donate. Well I just could not think of what would be the right gift to purchase and of all the years I have spent in health care the answer... is just to contact someone in patient relations. So this is exactly what I did. To my surprise they told me that the best donations are brand new stuffed animals the children love them and they never seem to have enough to go around. Well that was simple now this weekend we will be heading off to buy some stuffed animals to donate.
 I have seen and heard about parent's asking guest to donate items for a good cause instead of gifts. My new favorite show Quintuplets by Surprise on TLC just did their Quintuplets 2nd Birthday and asked their guest to donate a new coat instead of a gift for their children. It does teach children at a young age to think of others instead of them selves. My daughter sure does not go with out. She has more opportunities then I had at her age and definitely more toys. So a great lesson to learn and to teach your child is to look outside the box and think of others whom are 1. Less fortunate or 2. They have to over come hurdles in life like medical problems/ issues and 3. Helping others should be more rewarding then receiving.