Giving charity is more than the act of helping someone in need. It’s acknowledging a world outside yourself, it’s having hope in humanity, and it gives a sense of pride and accomplishment no other act can do.
You may have had an active charity life pre-mommy days and think of it as a thing of the past. Bagged lunches are now packed for a new recipient.
The giving shouldn’t end the day you bring your new responsibility home; at least not forever. Having charity be a family endeavor brings countless qualities to the mother-child dynamic.
Resting assured that we have reared kind and unselfish children is an aspiration we all hope to accomplish. The act of giving selflessly to others gives the child a frame of mind and worldview that will last a lifetime.
Parenting reported:
“Children naturally look for ways to make a contribution and help others,” says Deborah Spaide, founder of Kids Care Clubs, a national organization based in New Canaan, CT, that provides information on community-service projects for youngsters. “But just as we give our children opportunities to use their legs when they’re learning to walk, we need to give them opportunities to exercise their charitable muscles so they become really good at giving too.”
So,to instill this good service-oriented mindset in our children, we should give them opportunities to see what it looks and feels like.
There are many ways you can help a child as young as elementary school-age start a charitable lifestyle:
- Have them give a portion of their allowance to a charity of their choosing.
- Donate one of their birthday toys to someone who has less.
- Have them help stuff lunch bags for the homeless.
- They can pull weeds in a community garden.
- Go door to door with them while they raise money for a good cause.
- They can go to anursing home and just talk with the elderly or do a small performance.
These are all great ideas, but a child isn’t going to feel as connected to the charitable act unless an example is made by you getting involved as well.
Set the example, show your child they should care by caring yourself. Let your child know when you are bringing dinner to a friend who just had a baby, or when you are donating to the local blood drive.
When your child wants to do a charitable act, try and let her figure out how to help those in need. Spaide recommends:
“The more you let her direct the process, the greater the involvement she’ll feel and the more she’ll learn from the experience.”
For the concept of charity to really take hold in your young one,they must be able to experience it first hand. Sending money in the mail to a reputable charity organization is not quite the same as handing a lunch bag to a homeless person.
Spaide explains, “Many children can’t take the process that many steps forward in their minds.”
Use moments of charitable opportunity to give to someone in need and show your children you can make a difference for those less fortunate wherever you are.
When you pass a homeless person in town give them some money, or when a need arises in a community group be the first to offer your help.
Some people worry that exposing a child to the calamities of the world at a young age is corrupting them prematurely so they avoid charity altogether and the child has no idea of a world outside themselves.
Keep the charitable acts age-appropriate. Taking them to a nursing home over amethadone clinic should be obvious.
Spaide writes:
“The idea isn’t just to sensitize your child to some of the pain and suffering in the world, but to give her the great gift of thinking that she has the power to help make it better.”
It is empowering for children to know that their actions matter. It gives them an increased sense of pride and responsibility letting them experience that positive change is possible.
Don’t wait for conditions to be perfect to start implementing charity in the home. Even if it’s raking the neighbor’s yard when they are ill, start now. Give your children a jumpstart to a character trait that will not only bring them happiness but help all those around them.