editor’s choice
So how do we teach our kids to have
purpose outside of ourselves and focus
more on the well-being of others and
the community around us? Here are
some easy and practical ways to start.
Model giving behavior. It’s no
secret that kids model parents’
behavior, particularly ones we wish
they wouldn’t emulate. The good
news, however, is that kids also mimic
our good behavior. They may even
remember it more because it’s what
inspires them. Kayla Abramowitz
was just a normal girl who spent an
inordinate amount of time waiting
in hospitals because of her medical
ailment. But instead of becoming a
victim, she enlisted her Girl Scout
troop and started collecting DVDs
and other educational entertainment
material to donate to hospitals. When
I interviewed her mom about how she
raised such a caring child, she didn’t
mention any particular instruction
besides exposing her kids to giving
back from a young age. Out of pure
necessity, her young children followed
their mom around as she collected
leftover bagels from bakeries and
delivered them to shelters.
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