Help your Kids Help Others

Exposing our children to our charity work, I believe, will definitely be beneficial to our little ones.  As a family, we are pro-active in our church organization’s various programs and activities.  One of these is our community’s work with the poor program.  Since both my husband and I are very much involved, we always bring along our 3-year old son to various projects and activities.  Though he may not fully grasp the essence of what we are doing, I can see that he gradually learns the concept of giving and sharing even at this stage in his life. 

Here are some other benefits of getting our little ones involved in charity work:

1.    Helps them see the world beyond their “sheltered”, “pampered” life.  It is an opportunity for our kids to have a more realistic perspective about life.  That not everything can be handed to them in a silver platter.  That life will not always be easy and comfortable. 

2.    Teaches them to appreciate the value of sharing.  That it is more rewarding to give than to receive.  That whatever material or financial “excesses” they may have in life will have more meaning when shared with others in need.      

3.    Provides opportunity for them to grow up to be a better person.  Making them feel good early on in life about helping others and making a difference will build up their character.  They will later on discover that life is indeed more fulfilling if they can make a difference in this world. 

4.    Allows them to develop compassion and the virtue of humility.  Our little ones will learn to care.  At the same time, being exposed to helping the less fortunate will help them to be more humble, instead of looking too highly of themselves.  

We may probably think that it’s too soon for us parents to actually see the concrete effects of getting our little ones involved in our charity works for now.  But with proper guidance, being our children’s “role models” and making them feel good about “doing something good” for others will later on help shape them into persons of true worth. 

While others are benefiting from our charitable works, we, moms, are reaping the rewards as well thru our own children.  More importantly, our little ones will later on thank us for helping them learn how to help others. 

(article published in Mother, Baby and Child Magazine, July 2012 Issue)