Volunteering: Five ways to practice compassion
Volunteering in my opinion is compassion with hands and feet. Volunteering is one avenue to help teach your kid the value of compassion and selflessness. This tends to go against the mainstream idea of “Me first!” I remember one time around Christmas time, there were several elderly ladies who lived in the area by themselves and had no one around for the Christmas holiday. At the time, my family didn’t have much money, but my dad went out and bought several boxes of fruit. He helped my sibling and I to put together several homemade fruit baskets. We proceeded to make our way to each widow’s home passing out the fruit baskets and spending some time chatting. Volunteering that evening left a lasting reminder in my mind to show compassion through volunteering. Below you will find a list of five ways to volunteer and help your child practice compassion:
1) Find a neighbor whose flower bed needs weeded and weed it.
2) Identify a soup kitchen/food pantry in the area and offer to help for several hours. (Most soup kitchens/food pantries have age restrictions for kids. Double check with them to make sure your child is old enough to help.)
3) Visit a local nursing home and spend some time getting to know the residents who live there. They will appreciate the time to share about their lives.
4) Have your child help you make a meal for a family who just had a baby and then deliver it to them.
5) Put together a care package for a member of the armed forces. Include in it a note or picture from your child. (You can find addresses via AnySoldier.com)
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