Becoming Community Minded
/A question I ask myself often is: How do I teach my kids that we live in a world greater than ourselves?
It seems like the answer would be obvious. It seems like they should get it intuitively. And maybe they will as they get older. Or maybe they need real life experience.
As their mother, I am called to bring to light the greatness of our community, both in terms of the number of people who live in it and the things we can accomplish as individuals and in groups. I want my boys to know that they have gifts to give: compassion, smiles, hugs, respect, and help. I want my boys to understand that our community is only as strong as we make it. I want my boys to feel the power of helping others and raising each other up.
At the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, my boys made cards and drew pictures for members of our community (see original blog post) who couldn’t receive any visitors. My boys were worried about how lonely they may be without seeing family and friends. They wanted to do something for them; so they made cards, letters, and pictures that we mailed to various assisted living centers throughout the country. And, residents wrote back, thanking the boys for sending smiles and laughter through the mail.
Recently, we’ve had conversations about the scarcity of (and in some communities the abundance of) food. In our house, food is not something we have to worry about. Open the cupboard. Open the drawer. Open the refrigerator. We can shop at the grocery store, the farmers markets, and the mobile grocery store that visits our neighborhood a few times a week. In other homes, cupboards are empty. Shelves are bare. Refrigerators have nothing. That is a reality we are fortunate to not understand firsthand, but it is a reality for members of our community.
Kids’ Meals is a Houston-based non-profit that delivers food to young kids who are not of age to benefit from the school-based free meal programs. The food for these kids are packed into brown paper bags and delivered by volunteers. To bring a little light and happiness with each bag, my kids decorated nearly 5 dozen brown paper bags with stickers, illustrations, activities, and games.
I’ve never seen my kids so excited to create something for someone else. They may not yet fully understand that kids their age do not always have food in their tummies. They may not yet fully understand that kids their age go hours without a meal. They may not fully understand that food insecurity has many negative impacts on a child’s development. However, they are beginning to understand that other people’s lives are not like ours and we have the ability to help in big and small ways.
May their hearts grow big as their love for others spread wide.
Written by Brandi Stanton, mom to two rascals ages 3 and 5.
