Gifts: a little goes a long way

Every time my mom comes to our house she has something with her.  It could be an magazine article that she

thinks one of us will like, some clothes for the kids that she got for a GREAT deal at a thrift store, bananas she got on sale at Marc's, or some other this-or-that.

I guess I was used to it, since it's my mom after all.  Beth, though, was often puzzled by the odd assortments accompanying my mom's visits.  After a while, we realized-my mom loves bringing little gifts.  Honestly, sometimes, even now in her 70's she will physically jump up and down because she's so excited about a great find she has brought over.  This is the heart of a person with gifts as a primary love language.

Like we've mentioned before, each language has dialects.  Gifts might be odds and ends like my mom, or it might mean wrapped presents, or crafts, or flowers, and so on.

Does your spouse always bring things to you or leave things in your lunch box?  This is his or her way of saying "I love you."  Remember to see it that way, especially if you don't share that language.

In fact, this may be a source of conflict for some couples if gift giving includes spending money.  It may be worth creating a budget for your gift-giving spouse.  This way you can acknowledge that it is important enough to budget for, but also has some agreed-upon limits.  Don't forget, to budget or plan for it for you too.  If your spouse is giving lots of gifts, it might very well mean that she also wants to receive them, and will truly feel love when she does.