This week our church hosted our first family for Family Promise (http://www.nihn.org/ If you want to read about it that is the link). It's a wonderful way to show a family going through tough times love and support, letting them know that people do care. Our church provided a place for that family to stay for the week, providing meals and company in the evenings.
Anyway, last night I took the kids to church to visit with the family, who happened to be a mom with two children, 18 months and 5 years. We had dinner with her and the kids and got to know her a little bit. She was very sweet and all the kids played and had a good time. I didn't help out as much as I had wanted to orginally because my MIL was here for most of the week but next time I plan to really dive in and help more.
I really want my children to know how well they have it. They take it for granted that they have two parents who love each other and them, new clothes that fit, healthy food to eat and a wonderful room to sleep in every night in their own home. It's not a bad thing that they take it for granted - yet. They are still young and don't know there is a different world out there. However, I want them to know there is a different way of life for some people and I hope to start exposing them to it.
Tommy's school (with the church it is affiliated with) host a food bank that is open for volunteering. I plan to start taking Tommy there at least twice a month. We always send food to school for the food bank but he's never actually seen where the food goes. I have good hearted children but I also want them to develop a real empathy for people less fortunate than them based on an understanding of where the empathy comes from.
And on the subject of teaching the children to help others - we have a place called the Bluffton Self-Help where all the clothing is free to those in need. I always drop the clothes we or our kids have outgrown here because I would rather give them to a family who really needs them. This week I had another bag to drop off, so when I did I had a discussion with the kids about why I choose to take our things there. It's so much easier to have these talks when you're doing something that shows the actions of your words.
Anyway, that was my post of the week for my own personal challenge of trying to become a better person to those around me :)
Saturday, August 2, 2008
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2 comments:
Empathy is such a wonderful thing to teach a child. I truly believe the key to raising a good person is compassion. That is such a wonderful thing your church is doing! I love hearing about people doing good for others, we need more of it.
Those are such great ideas. I have always said when Ava gets bigger we would do things like food pantries but maybe I should look into starting earlier...
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