Here is a very quick read that provides some ideas about how to teach your children about giving during the holiday period.
However, I suppose the best lessons learned come from everyday life as opposed to holidays and special occasions.
A personal example comes to mind.
My wife, Sandy, used to volunteer several hours every week at the North Webster Library. During the summer she used to take my elementary school age son along to help. After several weeks of helping and watching, my son announced that he wanted to donate $40.00 of his allowance money to the library as a gift. We thought it was a great idea and encouraged him.
He learned that many great things that make up our communities are volunteer efforts and funded by gifts. He wanted to do his part too.
May all our children learn the best about giving this holiday season and avoid the excessive materialism and "me-first" philosophy that permeates what passes for popular culture these days.
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3 comments:
Thanks for posting this! I hate (strong word) the materialism and greediness that Christmas has become. I believe it accurately represents a portion of our society. I will hopefully instill in my children that it is important to give all year to those who may be down or to causes they feel passionate about. Through children, we can make the world a better place! Thanks!!
What we teach children is our only hope of making it any better.
Congratulations on this sentiment. A great example of this in the schools this year is Kim Jones' 4th grade class at North Webster. Instead of giving each other gifts that will probably never be used beyond the first week, the class pooled money they would have spent and collected extra to adopt a family. Kudos to the person who came up with this idea, and to Mrs. Jones' class for having their hearts in the right place and enthusiasm!
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