Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand Dec / Jan 2017: Special Edition | Page 28

Kids & Education

TEACHING
KINDNESS
TO CHILDREN
The holiday season is the perfect time
to promote the spirit of giving. In
this first edition of Brighton College’s
Q&A column, learn which proactive
steps to take to help children develop
a sense of compassion for others.
by Vanessa Robitaille

Q: “How can I make sure that my
child, who has been lucky enough
to experience a privileged expatriate lifestyle in Bangkok, understands the importance of giving
and philanthropy?”
A: Bangkok is truly a city of contrasts, where wealth sits side by side
with poverty. The expatriate child’s
lifestyle—filled with nannies, drivers, fancy restaurants and hotels—
can certainly make it challenging to
ensure our children do not become
myopic to others’ needs. Your question is acutely valid, and it is one the
majority of parents living overseas
have posed at one time or another.
Both of my children are true
third culture kids (TCKs) who have
lived all of their lives in Asia and
Africa, so I can relate to the unease
that fuels this question. One taxi
journey still jars in the memory: We
were en route to a sunny pool and
beach holiday when my younger
child asked how many stars the hotel we’d be staying in would boast. I
was perturbed by her question (and
its bigger meaning), but it generated a greater family discussion about
empathy, gratitude and a commitment to helping others less fortunate than us.
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When we returned home from
the holiday, I asked my children to
select several toys or books that
they no longer played with and also
some clothes that they had grown
out of, which we donated to a local
children’s charity. I further spoke
with them about helping other children, those who do not have new
toys to play with nor clean clothes
to wear every day.
It’s important to remember,
though, that philanthropy takes
many forms. Philanthropy is not just
about wealthy individuals donating large sums of money to charitable organizations, which is often the
picture that accompanies this word
in the mind’s eye. It also embraces donating skills and time to others, alongside money and/or gifts in
kind, in support of a greater need.
One lesson we can pass to our children is the understanding that anyone making an attempt to improve
society is a philanthropist.
So how can you promote philanthropy and empathy in your children? How can you demonstrate
helping others and spark the motivation to help make the world a
better place? The following steps
offer a way to start:

1

TALK ABOUT IT
Talk about your family’s values with your children and the
type of organizations you support,
both morally and financially. A report titled “Women Give 2013,” published in partnership with the United
Nations Foundation, found that children whose parents discuss giving
with them are 20 percent more likely to give to charitable ca uses than
children whose parents don’t talk to
them about philanthropy, regardless of the child’s gender, age, race
or socioeconomic group. Children
learn through doing as well as listening, so taking them along to get involved in charitable activities makes
far-reaching impressions. It is also
important to remain open-minded about the ways that children can
give and the activities that constitute
philanthropy.

2

PROGRESSION
THROUGH PASSION
Children should be given a voice
when it comes to philanthropy and
have an opportunity to get involved
with activities in which they are interested through their individual talents. Children are more likely to progress their involvement in charitable
activities—and to find them more
meaningful—if they can connect via
passion. Often these passions are developed and honed at school. Talk to
your child’s teacher about how they
develop awareness of philanthropy
within the school as a whole and in
individual classrooms; there may be
opportunities for parents to get involved through this route as well.

3

MAKE IT ACHIEVABLE
The age-appropriateness of
charitable activities is important, too. A statement from a child to
donate THB 3,000 baht to a child’s
charity of choice, for example a wildlife conservation trust, will mean requesting an adult for the money. A
dedication, however, to make and sell
holiday biscuits to families in a child’s
compound is achievable, whilst the
donation of time and effort required
for this activity is both meaningful
and thought-provoking. Children
should be encouraged to feel motivated by their roles and to focus on
the difference they are making, however big or small their chosen activities may be.
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