And Why Today’s Children are More Selfish Than Ever
It’s an all too common picture – you have a few of your children’s friends over so they can play and explore together, but one of the kids just doesn’t want to share. Everything is his – and only his!
A fight breaks out over whose toy it really is and you’re in the middle trying to settle everyone down. It’s around the age of four that children discover the existence of “me” and “mine” and a child that never learns to share will have much bigger problems further in life.
It’s not just sharing toys that I’m talking about either. Sure that’ll help your child make more friends in the playground but it’s what happens once they start managing money that matters most.
You see, a child that has trouble sharing will have trouble giving back to their community. They won’t give donations to charity and they won’t spare any of their free time for a good cause.
Why is this important you may ask? Well giving back is an integral part of building a strong and supportive community. It’s the glue that binds people together and keeps society functioning as a whole, rather than individual parts.
Developing strong ethics about giving back is easy whilst your child is younger. It’s an activity that the whole family can enjoy together too. Something that
will not only benefit your children but will bind the whole family together as one unit.
Here’s how your child can give back:
- Go to museums, galleries, and other civil organizations and give donations for their efforts. You’ll enjoy a fun day of activities and feel good about supporting your local community.
- Volunteer your time to make something, give something or do something for an organization. You can spend an afternoon planting trees, picking up litter or knitting a blanket for the homeless.
- Share old toys and clothes rather than throwing them away. Other people less fortunate than you can buy them or will be given them by charity stores and thrift shops.
- Collect donations to support an organization. The donations might be for your local church or religious group, a school team or to help raise funds for cancer research.
- Join a scouts club and become part of a vibrant team of like-minded individuals who regularly give back to their local community. Being a part of a larger team helps you build strong friendships along the way too.
The world would be a much better place if we all took some time each week to help those less fortunate than us. It doesn’t matter how high and mighty we think we are, or how much money we make – each of us can afford to spare some time or money to help others.
If you want to find out more about teaching your children to treat money with respect, then check out Fran Christie’s new book “101 Money Tips for Kids and Parents” here
