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It is an unhappy realization, one that is as sudden as it is unwanted — your children are obsessed with the holiday season, are demanding all the gifts they believe to be intrinsically tangled with it. They offer no concern for others. They merely plead and pout and ponder what they will ultimately receive. Every thought is a tribute to excess. Every word becomes a demand for more, more, more. And you’re mildly horrified by the lack of empathy that is given to those less fortunate. There is instead only the need for indulgence.
And this… will not do.
You won’t allow your children to defy the true purpose of the season. You will instead help them to rediscover it — and volunteering becomes the easiest way to accomplish this.
As the holidays approach, charities desperately begin to seek outside aid for their causes. Money is needed; goods are to be collected; and volunteers are requested to enable an easy process of sending out items. Your children are aware of this, you’re certain, but they haven’t yet experienced it. And offering them the opportunity is something you shouldn’t deny.
There is a great reward to be found in volunteering. Individuals who devote their days to helping others will earn the value of hard work and genuine gratitude. Families in need of aid will reach out, offering their thanks; and it will be a stark reminder of the difference between those who are fortunate and those who are not.
This will become invaluable in teaching your children how to truly appreciate what they have — and to not simply expect luxuries.
The purpose of volunteering is to have a direct impact on the lives of others, offering the assistance they need. The aftermath of this, however, is a sudden awareness of the world and what a season represents. Your children will gain an understanding of the struggles others face daily and will be better for it.
