Summer is coming up so we are doing another closet purge. 2 times a year Jordyn and I go through her things and separate them into keep, donate, and trash piles. I've done this with her since she was very young...you know those parents who wait until their children are gone at school and sneak and throw away the stuff their kids no longer fit or play with but would totally freak out about if they found out it was gone?....Yeah, i've never been that parent. I've always involved Jordyn in the giving process because I want her to know that while she lives a very fortunate life there are others out there who are less fortunate and it is our job to do our part in easing our fellow humans struggles. I also think learning to give at such young age helped ease the struggle of that "gimme gimme, mine mine" phase kids go through.
I've always believed in the importance of raising children who serve others and that children should get involved in charitable causes and giving back as early as possible so here are 5 simple ways i've ingrained a serving others lifestyle in Jordyn.
1. GET ONE/GIVE ONE.
We live by the get one/give one rule. Whenever you get something new, you have to give away something old. We keep all old toys in a box in the garage and when its full, we donate it.
2. PURGE TOGETHER.
We purge her things and decide what gets donated together. One time, I did it without her and it just wasn't the same. She didn't learn any lessons from it. The effectiveness and value of this activity is gone if you do it without her so I always include her.
3. LET HER PICK HER OWN CAUSE.
I keep her excited and interested in donating by allowing her to pick what cause she donates to. Jordyn is really into dogs and wants to be a vet when she gets older so we currently set aside money to donate to one of our local animal shelters.
4. MAKE HOLIDAYS CHARITABLE.
Jordyn hardly ever asks for anything. For her birthday and christmas she specifically says she wants to give to kids that are less fortunate. Her christmas list this year was nonexistent, instead she said asked santa to give to kids who needed it more. Of course, we still get her presents but we also honor her wishes in getting things to donate as well.
5. VOLUNTEER.
Jordyn has always seen me volunteer for almost everything since she was young. I'm a big believer in serving others so and as she grows older she is getting into volunteer work on her own. Be it at the library, with a neighbor, or helping out around her school, volunteering helps build a sense of community in Jordyn.
Giving and volunteering doesn't always have to be "official" either. We don't use those donation drop off boxes and we rarely ever donate to stores like Goodwill. 1 because a lot of times owners of thrift stores raid those drop off boxes and go on to sell the items and 2 because i'm more of a fan of giving to small lesser known causes or people I know personally who may be having a hard time and can use a little extra help.
It's always been important to me to show Jordyn that giving back and serving others is not only reserved for emergencies so i've tried to teach her early on to acquire the habit of selflessness and make serving others and charitable living a natural way of life for her.
Xo,
Jeanice.