Rearing generous, hospitable children

[Uno-Mom]

I'm in a thoughful mood today, I guess.

What have you done, or plan to do, to teach your children to be generous and hospitable? I would love to hear thoughts about this.

[BabyH]

My action plan starts Tuesday. DS is going to (what I call) pre-pre-school (he is only 17 months, so it's more like a mom's day out) at our church, where there is a food pantry.

So, I've decided every Tuesday to take a paper bag full of whatever items the church lists they need in the bulletin, to the food pantry before class starts.

I'm hoping this will become second nature to him, as he will be going to the church for all of the "schooling" before Kindergarten, and I will be able to tell him why we shop for others, why others might need our help and explain that if we are ever in need, the church can help us have food.

It's important to me, and I think having him see the shopping-delivering to church-giving back to those who need it in action will help him grow up with empathy and compassion.

This is, of course, just one of the ways I hope to help raise him to be generous and caring.....

[lalasmama]

We're a Christian family, so that colors a lot of the things we do, and the reasons I give DD about the actions.

We give our clothes away, generally to people we know, or to an organization that we are affiliated with. I explain that I go to work to make money to buy DD's things, but that not everyone has a job, so we need to help these people by giving them our outgrown or "under-worn" clothing.

We pick up things for the church's food pantry.

We Christmas carol over the holidays. It doesn't seem very "giving" sometimes, until the "carolees" remember/see DD. She lets them hug her, fuss over her, sit on their laps, and make conversation with them. She calls them Grandma or Grandpa. I've explained that we visit these people to bring them some joy, since their family doesn't come see them often, and grandpas and grandmas always love seeing kids. She knows that as a kid, it is her job to be cute and sweet with old people, even when she can't really understand them, assuming I am there. She works a nursing home dining room better than any politician I have ever seen!

Other things seem silly/minor, but serve to make people feel loved/cared for at our house. She clears everyone's plates at a meal. If there's a rush for the bathroom, she waits until everyone else guest/adult-wise goes first.

We do a lot of "what would you like? how would you like to be treated?" which gets her thinking about things outside herself.

[buddyleebaby]

I lead by example.

I include them when we make meals for others, and take them with me when we drop those meals off.

They help me shop for things to include in our care packages for our troops, write letters to include, and come with me to mail them off.

I ask them to choose toys to donate to their school.

They come with me to drop off clothes at Goodwill.

We attend Church as a family and volunteer for various acts of service.

Dh and I share with them and with one another and encourage them to do the same.

We demonstrate manners and good hospitality when we have playdates or houseguests.

[kristac]

I want to do this challenge with my kids when they are a bit older:

Power of 26 Challenge http://powerof26.org/

The Power of 26 days: Can you go a day with only one meal? Do you borrow from your neighbor to survive?... We invite you to take the 26 Day Challenge. Through a series of small activities, one a day for 26 days, you can experience a glimpse of the challenges and joys of life in a Kenyan slum. Most importantly, we hope you’ll finish with a deeper understanding of the power of community...