Teaching Our Children the Importance of Giving Back

During my annual, “What do want to accomplish this year” meditation in early January, I realized that this would be a year when I wanted to do a lot of volunteering. I would treat “sowing seed” in my community as a vocation. So, I sought out occasions to give.
I began by preparing dinner once day per month at a local shelter for women and children. That has been a very satisfying experience. On several occasions, I was accompanied by one or more of my twenty-something children. They loved it. My 13 year old niece reluctantly went with me on one of these times of service. She was surprised at how gratifying it was. My 17 year old niece was required by her school to do community service in order to graduate. She so enjoyed living and working with the children at a camp for children with special needs. She plans to do it again next summer just for the joy of it. She bonded with several of the children and wants to remain in their lives.

This summer I found myself volunteering at 4 different camps. I have noticed that in each instance, other volunteers brought their teen-aged children along. I realize that part of the motivation in the summer is that the kids need to be “somewhere” so they might as well follow the mothers to volunteer. However, the other motivation must be how rewarding it is to see your children/teens doing something totally unselfish in the “I-Me-My” world that our children live in.

I noticed back during the winter holiday season that many people put money in their children’s hands to put in the red buckets outside of department stores. What a wonderful way to get even toddlers into the habit of giving.

With all of the problems that we have experienced over the past decade: tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, wars…etc. we can find some redemption in the fact that more of us are sharing the blessings of benevolence with our children. Teachers are encouraging their classes to collect money, prepare gifts, write letters and serve in other ways. Following up with these lessons at home by allowing our children to see us
“paying-it-forward” unites us in a way that should make us all very proud.