Teaching How to Give


This month Sheff and I have talked about how to get our children more aware of giving. The trick is that there are a lot of us and it is simply too much to manage all 10 of us volunteering at the same time. We also know many charities need resources more than anything else. 

 So what to do? 

 First off an Otis stand by, divide and conquer. Sheff took two kids along to work for two hours at Feed My Starving Children http://www.fmsc.org/. Annie and Mark told everyone about the boxes they packed and yummy the meal was they were invited to sample. I had Daisy and Mickey help me make cookies to donate to the St Rose bake sale which benefits our school and James, John and Nate pack new pajamas for local homeless shelters in our area. We made sure everyone had a chance to be involved, but not at the same time.

 Something new we tried this year was to have our kids teach US about organizations. We choose five organizations to donate to in different ways, facebook gifts, donations in a loved ones honor with a Christmas ornament and even kids pitching in a few dollars each and choosing where their own money went. 

 The kids researched Water.org, Oxfam America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America,  FEED projects, and of course in my Grandparents honor, Heifer International.

Hopefully educating the kids, and them teaching us, will be a life lesson they remember! I really want giving and service to be a lifetime goal for myself and as a family. I know I could be doing more, but this was a fun way to start thinking about what is out there. 

 We hope to widen their minds to all the possibilities. To make social justice and service part of what makes our family tick. There are many, many ways to do good in the world. 

 Finding a joy, an interest, or a passion can be a way to get kids excited to give!

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