The Gift of Time

So, by now you have probably stood in a long line or scrolled on-line looking for the perfect gift for someone.  It is the craziest month.  A month of consumerism and anxiety.
But it doesn't have to be.  For most of us, the calm comes as we really listen to what other people want....our time.
This year my daughter put over five board games on her "want" list.  I stood baffled by the list.  She has a Wii, a DS, an iPod...games and music are at her disposal.  My hope was to add to the collections, but no, she put at the very top, most wanted game - LIFE.  Yes, the board game LIFE.  The one that is celebrating 50 years.
I actually laughed out loud as I ordered the game.  I remembered wanting the game myself at her age.
Then it hit me.  She wants the exact same thing I wanted when I put that game on my list.  Not the game, but the time and people it takes to play it.  Like me, she has realized that parents who purchase a game like this are going to be forced to play it - which translates to a lot of time together as a family.
In reality my daughter has asked for what most children are asking for - time with their parents.
Someday she may not desire our time as much.  Someday I may be the one dragging the old, tattered LIFE game out of the closet begging her to play one more time before she leaves for college.  And maybe, just maybe, she might play with me before she leaves if I give her, this year, the gift of time.