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Teach our kids about community service

I am so tired of picking up the same toys at my house day after day. Now, I realize that my children are small (5, 3 and 1) but that picking up their toys after a day of play is not too much to expect from them. We often make it a family affair to clean the toy room (aka the pump room). Honestly though, how many times can you pick up the same toys without getting a little disgusted with everything? You know that Febreeze ad where the lady picks up all the toys and then sprays the carpet? She turns her back on the toy box for a moment and when she turns around, all the toys have jumped out and are lying on the floor. Yes, this is how I feel.

Therefore, I decided to give the two older children 15 minutes to clean their toys without help thinking that this is enough time for them to get a solid start, if not finish, cleaning. Let me tell you that for 5 nights in a row they didn’t pick up a toy. On the sixth night I took out a garbage bag and began to carry it. My 5-year-old son asked, “Mom, what are you doing?” My response was, “Since you two don’t seem to care about these toys, we’ll give them away to someone who does.” So we begin to teach our children about community service.

I’ve brought more bags of toys to Goodwill and battered women’s shelters than I can shake. I realized 3 things in my battle with my children. 1) They have too much stuff 2) They don’t appreciate what they have because they have too much stuff and 3) They weren’t lost one bit once they left.

Our family is now committed to 2 community fundraisers each year. In November we partnered with Toys for Tots (http://www.ToysforTots.org) and start a toy drive that will last 6 weeks. My kids go with me to a local store where they pick out a toy that they would LOVE to have and donate at the checkout. They would love to have it for the first day it is in our house and then it would be abandoned. So instead we lovingly give it to someone who will appreciate it. My 5 year old daughter understands this and enjoys knowing it will give a child a happier Christmas. My 3-year-old son finds it hard to give the toy as a gift, but we explained why and he abandons it. I know that as you get older you will have much more understanding.

In the spring we work with our local food bank to produce food for them. This is usually a slow time of year for food banks, but they still need to serve the same number of people. So once again we make an appeal to the people of our community, the companies that are affiliated with the website, my children’s preschool, as well as family and friends. Buying an extra $ 20 of food when I go shopping will make a big difference to the food bank. This is the challenge that we also send to other members of the community.

Getting involved in my community makes me feel good. I want my children to be proud of where they live and serve the community because it serves them every day. The stronger our community, the stronger our children will be. The stronger our children are, the stronger our families will be. Take time as a family to serve your community!

If families knew how many opportunities they had to get involved in helping their community, I know they would be more willing to do so. There are organizations that need volunteers, but there are also things that we can do on our own. Some community service opportunities won’t be ideal for toddlers and preschoolers, but there are also things they can get involved in.

ORGANIZED SERVICE:

1. Adopt a grandparent – Many senior care centers have programs for families to come to the center to visit residents. Nothing will put a smile on the face of an older than seeing a child. You wouldn’t need to do anything other than show up for a visit as often as you can. If your child’s grandparents don’t live nearby, this would give them a surrogate grandparent.

2. Help at a homeless shelter – There are so many people who need a place to live and food to eat. By allowing our children to participate in serving these people, we can teach them compassion and love. Most children live in a “bubble” without realizing that many people are much less fortunate than they are. They will soon see that they are blessed and with their service they are lightening someone else’s burden and hopefully brightening their day.

3. Exercise for a cause – I’ve seen a huge increase in our walking, running and swimming community for all kinds of causes. Many of them are linked to cancer, but we’ve also had them for hunger, protecting battered women, child abuse, and pet safety. Find a cause you believe in, get some sponsors, and then get down to business. It will feel great to exercise and spend time with the family. (If you have little ones, put them in the stroller). You will feel great because your family is making a difference in people’s lives.

4. Military care packages – As a family, you can prepare a care package and write letters to men and women serving abroad for your country. You can connect with organizations like http://www.operationmilitarypride.org to make and ship your own packages. Either way, involving our children in supporting the troops is very important. This country is free because there are people who leave their families to fight for it. Thank them !!

5. Christmas boxes – There is a wonderful program called Operation Christmas Child (samaritanspurse.org) that collects shoe boxes to send to children in need around the world. Many churches are involved in this effort, but you can also do it with a business or play group or even on a personal level. I let my kids pack a box each (with recommended items) and we had a great time. They wanted to know why we were doing this and where the boxes would go. We looked at a map and talked about how much the children of those countries would love the things in the boxes. It was a special moment for me and my 5 and 3 year old children.

OUR FAMILY SERVICE:

1. Clean the park – When we get to the local park we go to, we put on our latex gloves and take out a small garbage bag. We spend the first 15 minutes that we are in the park picking up trash. It is not much, but we use the park and therefore we must take care of it.

2. make a phone call – I don’t have much television on at home, but if I see a Telethon happening for a cause I believe in, I will donate $ 10 on behalf of each of my children. Many people get caught up in how much they feel they should donate to make a difference. You make a difference just by picking up the phone. When my children grow up, I will ask them to call themselves. They may even want to donate with their own money.

3. Have a lemonade stand – What child has not asked to have his own lemonade stand? Let your kids make one, but talk about donating all or part of the money to a charity. Make a couple of posters with the price, but include “all money raised will be donated to charity.” They might find out they have a busy lemonade stand J.

4. St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital – I am very grateful to have been blessed with 3 healthy children. There are so many people who have had to deal with very serious and life-threatening illnesses with their children. I can’t imagine what those families go through. Every now and then I get a letter in the mail from St. Jude Hospital. Along with the letter are a bunch of address labels with my name and address on them. The letter asks for a donation (of any amount) for the hospital’s research. Again, it’s not about the amount, but the fact that anything you can give helps. As you write the check, let your children write a letter or color a picture for a patient. Encourage them to get involved in the process and, who knows, maybe they’ll establish a pen pal that they can keep in touch with.

5. Help out at a local animal shelter. – Most children love animals and giving them the opportunity to be a bunch of them as often as possible is often a dream come true. J Animals will be grateful for your love and attention! In a shelter, a child can learn about different animals and how to care for them. So volunteering also becomes teaching our children life skills.

It seems that with each passing day our lives get busier and busier. We need to take time to spend quality time with our families. We want to make our community a great place to live and we want to make our family a strong and supportive unit to live with.

I hope my children are always compassionate, loving, generous, and considerate. I want them to know that their individual actions make a difference and that they must live to make a positive difference. I think my role as a parent is to help them achieve those traits. By teaching them about community service, being an example to them, and giving them opportunities to participate, I hope they learn to be (humbly) proud of their contributions and also to be grateful for their family and their “stuff.” I just hope it’s not all over the floor!

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