Posted 231 days ago
Millennials Imagining Ways to Live More With Less
Penny Carothers
Teaching children values is one of the most important things we do as parents.
Most experts agree on some fundamental principles that parents can employ to teach values:
Model Behavior – While it’s true that children learn through what we model, it’s not true that you need to have mastered a value before you teach it to your children. Communicate with your children about what matters to you, and show them how you act in response to this value.1
Teach Children to Empathise – In everyday situations like buying groceries or waiting in line at the post office, ask children to pay attention to wha those around them are feeling and thinking. Help them to label feelings and ask open-ended questions about what they see and experience.2
Develop a Balanced Parenting Approach – Richard Weissbourd suggests that “parents seek to move from a ‘self-esteem and happiness focused’ parenting approach toward caring and responsibility. Instead of telling your children, “’The most important thing is that you are happy,’ tell them, ‘The most important thing is that you are kind, and that you are responsible for others”.3
Praise Good Behavior – By praising children when they help, we teach them how important it is to be helpful. It’s important not to over-praise, however, as this can set up expectations in the child’s mind about how s/he must behave in order to gain approval.
Create Expectations – It’s important for families to have expectations about children’s behavior towards others – expecting kindness, for example – and to create the expectation that your family is one that gives and serves by engaging in volunteerism and compassionate acts. This can begin as early as elementary school (see Kids Care Clubs under the Resource section).
Universities and philanthropic charities are trying to instill this in students, as well. There has been a rise in university classes that offer concrete opportunities to give monetarily. They ask students to reflect “on what practicing philanthropy means in their lives and community.”4
Resources
Kidscare
Kids Care Clubs is an organization that believes kids learn “tolerance, cooperation, confidence and respect through serving others”. Their website states: “Volunteering at a young age leads to a lifetime of strong values and service. Our mission is to develop compassion and to inspire a spirit of service in elementary and middle school age youth.”
National Charity League
National Charity League is a mother-daughter service organization. The mission of National Charity League is to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences.
The Giving Book – Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving
According to the publisher, The Giving Book is a unique, interactive book that allows parents, teachers or friends to help children understand giving and participate in a stimulating experience…The book helps [children] record their ideas, dreams and wishes for the world – making them the authors of their stories and creating a “scrapbook” of their journey into compassion, philanthropy and the power of their actions.5
Lazarus at the Gate
Lazarus at the Gate is a biblical curriculum that challenges participants to “live gratefully, spend less, buy justly, and give more.” According to reporter Jane Lapman, the 12-session curriculum explores the meaning of economic discipleship and encourages thinking about money from a place of gratitude and abundance rather than fear. Groups study Old and New Testament texts as well as research on global poverty and development. Individually, Lazarus group members decide on ways to live more simply, such as avoiding buying snacks or selling a car and taking public transportation. At the final session the group discusses where they will give the money they saved from their decreased spending.6
[1] http://parenting.ivillage.com/gs/gsfamdynamics/0,,45tt,00.html#ixzz0bsmAaDR7 [3] http://perfectfitparenting.blogspot.com/2009/10/10-tips-for-raising-kids-who-care.html
[4] Tugend, Alina. “Raising Children Who Care in Times That Need It.” New York Times 4 July 2009, business ed.: B6. Print.
[5] http://www.wateringcanpress.com/html/givingbook.html
[6] Lapman, Jane. “A Prayerful Approach to Money.” The Christian Science Monitor 2 Feb. 2009: 13+. Print.
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