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Are Americans selfish or selfless when it comes to gift-giving?
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A new report from the National Retail Federation says Americans are planning to spend a lot on themselves. For now. - photo by Herb Scribner
Americans are planning to spend their holiday bonuses on two things this year family and themselves.

The National Retail Federations latest consumer survey found that American holiday shoppers plan on spending about $462.95 on family members this year, which is up from the $458.75 they spent last year.

And Americans plan on spending a lot on themselves. The survey found that 55.8 percent of shoppers will spend an average of $131.59 on themselves up from $126.37 in 2014, the NRF reported.

In fact, holiday shoppers plan to buy both themselves and their family members nongift items, too, the NRF reported.

Despite the challenges that still exist in our economy, it looks as if consumers are eager to celebrate the holidays with friends and family this year, said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay in a statement. We expect consumers will tackle their holiday shopping lists with a healthy dose of optimism, tempered by a hint of caution as they look for ways to find the perfect, practical gift.

All this consumer confidence shows Americans are willing to spend on themselves and their families. But dont fret just yet about Americans being selfish spenders holiday donations to charities often rise as shoppers get closer to the holidays, according to USA Today.

As seen last year, donations to charity organizations often grow in the summer and increase even more in the fall, USA Today reported. In 2014, charitable donations grew by 1.8 percent from July to September, which set up nonprofit organizations for an even more lucrative holiday season.

In fact, about 34 percent of all charity donations are made from October to December, with 18 percent of them coming in December, USA Today reported.

"Many of our members are dependent upon a good holiday season for a large portion of their annual fundraising," said Sam Worthington, the CEO of InterAction, an alliance of organizations, to USA Today. There's the practical aspect, which is that it's the end of the year and people want to make sure their giving is done before a new calendar year, and there's the fact that we spend time with our families, we think about others and want to have an impact on the world around us.

In fact, events in the winter, like #GivingTuesday, also inspire Americans to donate money to charity during the last few months of the year. As Lane Anderson reported for Deseret News National last year, #GivingTuesday has been vital in encouraging people to offer their generosity during the holiday season.

This years #GivingTuesday campaign has already started. Network For Good, an online charity group, has released some helpful tools and webinars so donors can pick the right charities to give to through the #GivingTuesday campaign.

Before donating to a charity, Americans can check programs like the Better Business Bureau, GuideStar or the FTC to verify whether their money goes to a good cause.

Giving isnt just for adults, either. Kids.gov, a government-funded information website for U.S. children, offers some tips for youngsters about donating to charities. Children should be sure theyre donating to a legitimate charity and one they hope can make a difference.

Most charities will send information about themselves to help children and other donors decide.

Children are also encouraged to ask their parents for help in making the donation, which can be of any size.

Your donation doesn't have to be a big one, according to kids.gov. Charities will be happy to receive even a few dollars. So if you have a little bit of extra money left over from your allowance, think about donating some of it to charity and making someone's holidays a little bit happier.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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