Teaching the Joy of Giving

With Thanksgiving over and Christmas on the rise, it is a perfect time to teach giving to your child. I have always considered these special days to be bound with thankfulness for blessings and opening of hearts and wallets for giving back for our blessings. Teaching your child the joy of giving is important in developing positive self-esteem, and positive self-esteem is needed for happiness and as a brace for disappointments that life sometimes give us. Happiness and strength come from within ourselves and knowing our blessings and giving of ourselves help to create the positive self-esteem needed to weather any storm.

There is an old saying “It is better to give than to receive”. The saying holds great wisdom. Help your child understand its’ meaning this Christmas Season. You can begin by helping your child sort toys that have been out grown and no longer played with and donate them to Toys for Tots or other redistributing organization for children with few resources. Involve your child in the whole process. For older children, volunteer with them to work with the organization to clean and prepare the toys. Soup lines are another way to find the joy of giving. Giving blankets, socks, scarves, coats, snacks and other items to the homeless is always a good way to learn the joy of giving. There are lonely people in nursing homes without family that need visits and caring. There is probably someone in your neighborhood that also is in need. Look around your community and find ways to give and include your child.

Teaching your child to give, includes teaching compassion for all people in all circumstances. So, do not forget this part of the lesson. These are great lessons of life that will be a guide to your child throughout his/her life. So, go teach the joy of giving!