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How I raise my kids to do good in the world

My kids are awesome and they are also kids. I try to keep them from the heartaches of the world but sometimes I want them to see just how hard it is for some families. They have a certain privilege that I nor their dad had growing up. They get access to more things and they live a decent life but….yes there is a but…..I want my kids to know that their are people who don’t have what they have. People who live on the streets, people who don’t have adequate healthcare, people who don’t have money to buy even what’s needed. I want my kids to learn how to give back to various charities and help those that are less fortunate. I was honored to visit the Atlanta Ronald McDonald house a few weeks ago to see what all they have to offer and I was so amazed by all of the things they did for families. If you don’t know what the Ronald McDonald house is let me give you a run down…

Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities provides a home away from home for families of sick and injured children receiving care at local hospitals. Essentially they provide a place to stay at no cost to the families who have sick kids at local hospitals. Imagine if you had to come to Atlanta for a medical procedure and you can’t afford to stay at a hotel or you didn’t have family members here…where would you stay and what would you do? That is where the Ronald McDonald House comes in at! I was able to take my kids to view the house here in Atlanta and my kids were in awe of how they helped families

So how can your kids learn to do good in the world? Here are some tips….

  • Have them watch shows or movies that do some good! I know that the Disney shows are great and it teaches my kids to do good in the world. I know we aren’t supposed to stick our kids in front of a TV but sometimes those shows have valuable lessons that they can learn
  • Have them help out the elderly. It doesn’t have to be someone they don’t know they can help out someone that they do know so they can learn how to be kind right in their own backyard. Help out grandma in the kitchen, help grandma load groceries in the car, help grandma clean her room. Doing little things for someone you already know prepares you to help others that you don’t know
  • Have your kids volunteer with you doing various things like feeding the homeless or going to the old folks home to visit others. If they see you do it…they will want to do it
  • Have them come up with their own cause. My son hates seeing homeless people on the streets so I asked him what he would like to do to help and he said let’s do care packages for the kids on the street. Great idea! That way he gets involved by doing something he wants to do
  • Donate toys and clothes to others. My kids have a bag in their room and they go through once every other month and put things they no longer play with or wear in there for other kids. I want them to know that they can give more than just money
  • Teach them that the world still has good in it…..not everyone is mean. Show them inspiration or be the inspiration that they need

I am also a huge supporter of making sure my kids don’t have everything they want. I want them to know that they have to work for it and nothing is given. I think that by working for it they appreciate it more. That helps raise good kids who don’t think that things should be given to them. No one likes a spoiled brat! My kids help out with my business so that I can teach them that helping mom is also a great way to do good. My daughter helps me to style photoshoots and did the one below on her own….

My son is my hand model and helps me sort through receipts and various paperwork. It all starts from home when it comes to creating good kids who want to give back.

Giving to local charities and helping is a great start. You can start by making sure the charity that you are giving to is on the up and up….you know you don’t want to give to things that are fake or things that have no real substance behind them. You also want to make sure that you verify that the money is being used in the right way to help others. I don’t want myself or my kids to put time and effort into anything to only find out that what they did didn’t go towards the cause. That is heartbreaking not only for my families but for families that believed in that organization. I know that the Ronald McDonald house is the real deal and that is why my kids and I are looking into adopting a family soon!

How do you support your local charities? How do you teach your kids about how to do good in this world?

Thank you to the Atlanta Ronald McDonald house for having just tour! 

 

 

 

31 Comments

  • Alli Smith
    March 6, 2017 at 11:36 am

    My kids are all grown and I’m so proud of them. I guess I did a few things right. We’ve always taught our kids to do good. We’ve taken them to 3rd-world countries to show them true poverty. We also help families right here in our own community. I think it’s so important to teach kids to care about others and to do good.

    Reply
  • robin Rue
    March 6, 2017 at 11:49 am

    My kids volunteer a few times a year. We help the food pantry and we work with a group that picks up litter in our town a few times a year.

    Reply
  • Jeanette
    March 6, 2017 at 1:41 pm

    I am trying my hardest to raise my kids to do good in this world to. The Christmas time we donate toys both some of his and some that we buy, I think it is one of his favorite things to do. I should take them to the right of the Donald house to volunteer because I think the Ronald McDonald house is probably one of the best charities out there.

    Reply
  • Kathy Myers
    March 6, 2017 at 2:45 pm

    I have three grown children, although they are amazing, I wish I had done these things. I will work on this with my grands!!

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  • Annemarie LeBlanc
    March 6, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    My children are all adults now, but I could say I made them realize that the world does not belong to them alone. That there are others who are in dire straits and would need as much help as they can get. We donate to local charities, do some volunteer work, and help with medical missions. The schools they attended offered outreach programs which they always signed up for.

    Reply
  • Kimberly
    March 6, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    You’re a good Mom Kita!
    Last summer, my son was given a bunch of beautiful snack bags – material ones. He said “I only need one. Maybe kids who don’t have any can take them?”
    A friend of mine is a part of a women’s coalition – they give temporary housing to women in our city (women trying to get back on their feet for whatever reason) I asked her if any of these women had kids who could use them. So we went there and he dropped them off and they talked to him about homelessness. Ever since then, he’s been collecting things he doesn’t use anymore or clothes he doesn’t wear for them.

    Reply
  • candy
    March 6, 2017 at 3:34 pm

    All of your tips are great about getting children to give service. Starts by their parents showing by example. We took our kids to nursing homes and they had several friends that has different disabilities physical or mental. They learned to not be afraid and to help. Learning that everyone just wants to have friends.

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  • lisa
    March 6, 2017 at 5:31 pm

    My kids love helping others. Their school promotes giving to less fortunate people on a regular basis and we teach them how important it is to help others all the time.

    Reply
  • Christy Maurer
    March 6, 2017 at 6:18 pm

    This is wonderful. I am really proud of how my daughter supports a little boy in Bolivia (we split the cost) through Compassion International. My son has a heart for helping his grandparents. It is so important to raise our kids to be loving and caring.

    Reply
  • Michelle
    March 6, 2017 at 11:08 pm

    These are all great ideas to raise children to care about others and realize other people are less fortunate. I really like the idea of kids donating their old toys to those who don’t have as many.

    Reply
  • David Elliott
    March 7, 2017 at 12:42 am

    This is awesome that you make your children understand the value of helping others in this world. With so many people just out looking for themselves now, it can be depressing. It’s nice to know there are still parents out there that are concerned for others and for raising their children with good values.

    Reply
  • Jacqui S
    March 7, 2017 at 2:31 am

    My teen loves helping people and friends when she can. She’s always supporting her friends and lifting them up when they are down.

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  • valmg @ Mom Knows It All
    March 7, 2017 at 3:49 am

    I feel it is important for children to experience contributing to a cause and working to make a difference. And Ronald McDonald House is great, a friend of mine is waiting for a spot to open up in one while her son is in the hospital.

    Reply
  • HilLesha
    March 7, 2017 at 8:40 am

    These are such wonderful tips! I think it’s incredibly important to teach children early on how they can make a difference in others’ lives.

    Reply
  • Oyinkan Ogunleye
    March 7, 2017 at 11:43 am

    I was raised the to give back to my community as well. It’s so wonderful that you’re doing this for your kids!

    Reply
  • Ave
    March 7, 2017 at 11:01 pm

    You are doing a really great job by educating your kids about helping people in need. My daughter likes to donate her clothes and toys too. I’m glad the Ronald McDonald House is helping families in hard times.

    Reply
  • Anosa
    March 8, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    Never had any kids yet but i’d love to participate on this initiative! I’ll share it to my mommy friends!

    Reply
  • Marielle Altenor
    March 9, 2017 at 4:22 am

    The sooner you start to teach them the importance of doing good in the world, the better. Every year my son and I give toys and clothes away to a second-hand place.

    Reply
  • Emily
    March 9, 2017 at 5:31 am

    This is so important! I find that teaching my kids something like this is best done by giving them examples of it. I want my kids to be good people, kind, and thoughtful of others. Hopefully I am on the right track!

    Reply
  • Terri
    March 15, 2017 at 7:55 pm

    I love community service. I think it was instilled in me as a little girl in girl scouts. WE did a lot of community service events. Now I try my best to do what I can to instill that in my son. He’s only 8 months old now, but I do what I can to say to him “Good people help People” whenever I get the chance.

    Reply
  • Tc
    March 16, 2017 at 1:50 am

    Love it! Yes it’s very important that we teach our kids the proper balance and how to play a role in society that is more than just self seeking!

    Reply
  • Jay Colby
    March 16, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    I love giving back to the community. You’ve given us some gems here on parenting!

    Reply
  • Joyce Brewer
    March 16, 2017 at 1:13 pm

    We talk a lot about the homeless too. Unfortunately, driving around Atlanta you can see a variety of people who don’t have a home or are begging.
    I try to explain to our son that some people have addictions and issues that lead them to life on the street.

    Reply
  • Ashlee Adams
    March 16, 2017 at 9:05 pm

    This is a great way to show your kids how to participate in their community. Everyone matters. I like to go downtown on super hot days and just give out bottles of water. It’s a small act but I like to think it matters. I will kick it up a notch this year!

    Reply
  • Michelle
    March 16, 2017 at 11:07 pm

    This is indeed a great cause and a great lesson for your kiddos. One of the 8th grade teams (roughly 150 kids) in my my middle school gives to the Ronald McDonald House every year as part of their service learning project. Teaching your own children how to steward what they’re given is a great life lesson. Great job!

    Reply
  • Kiwi
    March 17, 2017 at 1:04 pm

    I think this is a generation growing up spoiled and entitlement so what a great post to showcase how even young kids should participate in causes for good. Teach them young!

    Reply
  • Courtney CJ
    March 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    I wish more parents at my school had this outlook. Even though we are in a low-income environment, there is always someone who still could use help. I’d love to see more community service projects with my kids.

    Reply
  • Jonna
    March 17, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    When my daughter was younger (she’s 20 now) we would always volunteer on the weekends. She would also help me with my charity fundraisers I used to do. Even as a child, she really thrived on helping other people. It was never a struggle for her.

    Reply
  • Tiffany H.
    March 19, 2017 at 6:33 am

    I wonder is there a Ronald McDonald houses near me in California? I would love to visit. These are great ideas on things to do with your children .

    Reply
  • Victoria
    March 20, 2017 at 3:35 pm

    wow its great to start them young. I love this post and I appreciate how you made them realize that is is never too early to help and support charity. My community instilled this in me too growing up and i have been carrying this mentality with me as I get older.

    Reply
  • Michelle Thames
    March 22, 2017 at 2:23 pm

    When my daughter gets older I will definitely get her into volunteering. Starting them young is good! Thanks for this post, I really appreciate the tips.

    Reply

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