I need some help. I need to find somewhere that I can take my son, 5 yrs old, to help teach him that life is more about stuff and "can I have". He has no concept that no everyone has food, heat, a home, gifts at Christmas etc. I told him the other day my name is not, MomcanI. (anyone see that Bill Cosby standup?) Anyway, would love recommendations for local places or families that we can help not just now but moving foward. (soup kitchen, hospital, shelter, local family) Thank you!
IMO, I think he should receive just a small dose of life's reality a bit at the time. At 5 YO, he's still rather young to understand why some folks have and some do not. I'd say one of the best things you can do at Christmas is sit down and talk with him on a 5 YO level about how some kids do not have a lot at Christmas and allow him (with your assistance) to pick out some toys and clothes to carry to the Salvation Army. Also, explain to him what the "bellringers" do during the time of the year and let him drop some money in the kettle. There are a number of different things a child can do. Another thing a kid can do (although late for this year) is help pick out items for Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes done annually by Samaritans' Purse. I'm not saying that a soup kitchen or hospital aren't good ideas, but probably not suitable just yet for a 5 YO. Mom and dad is the best influence probably right now. That's just my .02.
:iagree: 5 years old is a little young to fully understand what you are trying to teach him. There is a huge difference in what my daughter (who will be 8 years old in February) understands now than when she was 5.
:iagree: with whats already been said. At that age, they naturally think its all about them. But if you don't give them everything they ask for - they will learn differently and eventually as he gets older some of these suggestions would help him to understand that there are less fortunate folks.
All well said and I agree. I also agree that home and parents are the first line to teach these kinds of things and we do. We pick out toys and food for others for various drives, we sponsor a child in World Vision, we have done Operation Christmas Child...I just thought that seeing and helping families in person would make a greater impact on him. So, that being said, if anyone knows of any places where we can go locally in Johnston County, it would be much appreciated. Thank you, Merry Christmas and God Bless.
My parents taught me and never had to go anywhere to learn. Teach them yourself....they will catch on.
I think they can understand a lot more than we think. We did the Samaritan's purse boxes with my 3.5 year old this year. When we were packing the boxes, I explained to her to there were kids that were much less fortunate that she was, and that they did not have anything to play with or any christmas presents. We talked about how some of the things she never played with that these poorer kids would LOVE to have for Christmas. We also talked about how those kids likely lived and how fortunate she was. What really got her attention was when I showed her an online video of a kid opening his box from Samaritan's purse. His excitement was infectious! (youtube has a few, including a veggie-tales one). I was really surprised how willing she was after that talk/exercise to put ALL the toys I had bought into the boxes without asking to keep some herself. About a week after the boxes were picked up, she saw a holiday magazine and came up with the idea to "play" samaritan's purse. I gave her some scissors and she cut pictures out of things that the "poor kids" might like like, and then put the pictures into the box. She's been playing that game off and on for about a 3 weeks. We talked this weekend about giving away some of her books and toys so that 1) she's have a place to put her new stuff, and 2) so that other kids could have some nice things for Christmas. She did really, really well. We were able to fill up a large box. She was very generous and kept talking about how happy the kids would be when they opened up their christmas presents. I was so happy that she seemed to really get it. As for places to take her, I'M not quite ready for the homeless shelter. There are lots of really great people there, but there are also some who are mentally ill. I would rather be cautious for safety reasons. However, I've been thinking about taking her to a nursing home to visit some of the older people. Some of those people are starved for attention and really enjoy seeing little kids. Maybe even bring little presents for them. I also think that the angel tree projects and toys for tots may still be collecting gifts. Finally, a friend told us that they did 3 gifts for christmas-jesus got 3 gifts, so the kids get three as well. We are a little over the 3 this year, but hubby's really pushing for that next year. Just an idea. Good luck. You'll come up with the right ideas for your family.
You Tube has some great clips of Samaritan's purse boxes being distributed. I've used those as a tool to show my children the environment some children live in. We take notice of the "houses", clothing, shoes (or lack of), schools and how much the children appreciate the little gifts that many of our children would not. When driving around, like in Raleigh, we will talk about the homeless we see or homes that barely look habitable. These are just a few ways to give younger children a view of a world beyond their cozy home and a packed food pantry. With Love from Jesus will allow children as young as 5 help parents hang clothes, etc... I'm not sure though that gives them a connection as to why they are doing the service. www.withlovefromjesus.org I recently found out about the Brown Bag Ministry http://www.brownbagministry.org/ Each Saturday they make 1,000 lunches and take them to Moore Square to distribute. Distributing might be a little scarey for a five year old. If you want to help animals ... Johnston County Animal Protection League always needs volunteers to help clean cat cages at PetSmart. This is a good family volunteer opportunity you can do one or more afternoons a month. http://jcapl.org/
My girlfriend also does the three gifts with her children and I think its a wonderful idea..They also do quite a few charity events as a family, but her children are a little older. I think its wonderful that you care about teaching your children these things in the first place, whetever method you take. There are lots of parents who, themselves, seem oblivious to the less fortunate.
We've volunteered to help out with the Brown Bag Ministry. You gather at the church and make up thousands of bag lunches. They are seriously organized and had many MANY kids there. It was very cool and makes a person think and I think it was wonderful to see all the children involved. We will be going back and helping again and want to make it a regular activity. I know they do help distribute as well as load up other people giving out the lunches but you can also just go to the church and help make the bag lunches. When we were there they were also collecting clothes and toiletries for shelters, etc. We found out about it through Triangle Impact - we've done volunteer projects with them as well. Martha
