Helping Hands
by Carleton KendrickDad, they started to cry when we sang the Jewish holiday songs. One woman took my hands and thought I was her daughter. I pretended I was. I told her I loved her too. I wanted to make her happy. After, I cried too."
My 11 year-old daughter was having a rough time telling me about her volunteer group's holiday singing at the nursing home. She was sad. She was happy. She was discovering how good it felt to give to others.
She had hit the volunteer road running (actually crawling) as a one year-old, delivering meals with her mom to the elderly. She "got it" early. Volunteering is something she's always done.
Now 21 and graduating college, I know she'll continue to make giving to others a part of her life. It's what she expects of herself. It's who she is.
Show Them the Way
One of my co-workers at our food pantry brings her teenage daughter with her every week. Her daughter stacks the food shelves and occasionally plays the church's old piano. Our pantry's clients love her music. Show your kids how much you value giving to others by volunteering yourself. Helping others as a family can't be beat.
Self-Esteem and Better Grades
Linda Levstik, professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Kentucky, points to one Kentucky school as dramatic proof that kids' volunteering not only lifts their self-esteem but also improves their academic performance. In this school, children with both academic and behavioral difficulties who participated in a community environmental project reduced their absenteeism and improved their grades. Should we be so surprised that the increased self-esteem they gain from helping others encourages kids to become more successful in other areas? Pretty powerful, this doing for others!
It's At the Core
Don't assume that your praise of their every action is the only basis of your kids' self-esteem. The core of their self-esteem and empowerment is formed by their doing for others. So work with them as they give to others. Swap volunteer stories. Get to the core.
Read Carleton Kendrick's bio.
