If you are looking for a gift idea for a child, you might consider taking them on a date. For their birthdays, Aunt Kel took each of her preschool nieces and nephews to a “cultural event”. Pookie and Kel went to the Children’s Museum. T-man and Kel saw “Diego Live!”. Geetle and Kel saw “Clifford’s Big Show.”

Each child got some one-on-one time and felt very important to be out on such an important afternoon. Even at the young age of 3 and 4, T-man and Geetle understood. They were excited when Kel gave them a card on their birthday, pulled them aside and told them what their present was. I wondered if they might still expect a present to unwrap, but they didn’t. The promise of seeing Diego or Clifford in a month was enough.

Pookie has a hard time with abstract concepts, so he did not understand what Kel was telling him, but gosh darn it, he was just happy that she was at his birthday party. And on the afternoon of their date, he followed her to the museum and had a great time.

Months later, the memories remain. Sometimes Geetle asks us to read the show program as a bedtime story. In an age of plastic-noisemakers that masquerade as toys, I think this is a great idea for any age child.