We all know that volunteering can be good for the soul, but our busy lifestyles can make it easy to say, “I just don’t have the time.”
Between work, school, extracurricular activities, cleaning the house, keeping the kids fed and trying to carve out some quality family time, volunteering can fall to the bottom of the priority list. One solution can be combining your family time with volunteering at a local organization. Donating your time to others in need teaches children a plethora of important skills and life lessons.
“Mom, was this cracker ever alive?”
It occurred to me at that moment - when we were sitting around the lunch table and my then 6-year-old daughter asked me this question - that perhaps I could do a better job teaching my kids where their food comes from.
We’ve all said it, or at the very least thought it. In a moment of frustration and disappointment, when we’re in absolute awe as to why our kids aren’t showing appreciation for all that’s being done for or given to them.
But being grateful is not innate. And it most definitely isn’t easy for adults, let alone our little ones. Feeling gratitude requires children to use a variety of complex social emotional skills that need to be taught through ongoing modeling and practice. The kicker? When they do start to feel and understand what it means to be grateful, the benefits can be huge.
We all know there are countless benefits to children having a healthy relationship with their grandparents, but some aspects of that relationship can cause a bit of strife between mom and dad and grandma and grandpa.
It is no surprise that when kids are with their grandparents they are much more likely to get what they ask for (the word “spoiled” is often used). This can be a good thing, as kids feel special, but it can also step on parents’ toes and strain that relationship if it goes too far.
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