Wordful Wednesday- {Service}

I don’t think it’s ever to soon to start teaching children about the importance of acts of service.  Even young children can “get” that these acts positively effect both the giver and the receiver.  We try to provide our children with opportunities to serve others including those in our neighborhood, church members and people in the community whom we don’t even know.  Many times we have to seek out opportunities, and sometimes opportunities to do something nice for another presents itself and we don’t even have to look.

Last week the boys were asked to “pet sit” a friends fish while he was away.  It was something that they were capable of and willing to do and not once during that week did I have to remind the boys to feed the fish.  They loved having the special responsibility and I’m pretty sure they understood that what they were doing was more than just feeding the fish.  They were helping a friend because they could, and that made them, and ME happy.

Does your family try to find opportunities to service others? If so, what are some of the things that you’ve done in the past?

If you are interested in a quick and easy way to enable ANYONE to quickly mobilize and coordinate volunteers in your community, congregation or social network, then you might be interested in these free sign up sheets found at VolunteerSpot.com.

Wordful Wednesday is like Wordless Wednesday, only WITH words. It’s for those of us that can’t contain the chatter, but in a good way. More info. in my tabber box titled WW on the right. Thank you for playing along!

Don’t forget to hop on over to my co-host Amanda’s place (Parenting By Dummies) to see what she has to be Wordful about today!

Need new business cards or party invites?  If so, enter my Tiny Prints {$50} giveaway found here.

AND, I need your help winning a new BBQ.  Starting at 12:01 am on the 29th, voting starts for my BBQ’d recipe.  Here’s the 411. It’s EASY.  And yes.   I’m begging.

About Angie

Angie is a CRAFT dabbling, recipe making, WORD loving, sunshine hording, book DEVOURING, Mama to a lot! She's kind of in love with Instagram right now, so if you want her attention, go find here there. {smiling}

Comments

  1. We have fostered animals, and taken in many from friends & family who couldn’t take care of them any more. The older kids do service-related things with church groups. I try to teach them to be the kind of person who others know they can rely on when they need someone.

  2. That so sweet. 🙂

  3. How nice!! I am in the Junior League so I drag my kids all over the place with me to service others!

  4. That’s so wonderful!! I’m sure the friend was very grateful…

    We teach Charlie little bits of being of service, being helpful – baby steps. I don’t expect her to grasp all of that quite yet. But when she’s older I’d love to see how giving she can be.

  5. That is so wonderful, Angie. You’re really doing a great job with your kids. 🙂

    As for the BBQ recipe contest, you’ve got my vote! Will start voting tomorrow…

  6. How great is that?! :> I think it’s great anytime there’s a moment to teach kidlets to help others; from the big to the small, it all matters.

    And I’ll be back to check out how I can help you win a bbq! :>

  7. How sweet! Awesome, teach them young!
    I took care of my neighbors son while she went to the hospital to have her second child.

    Mrs. Marine
    & the Tiny Troops

  8. Service is such a wonderful thing!! I especially love Random Acts of Kindness – it’s the best 😀 Kudos!!

  9. That is so sweet! We’re in the middle of a major act of kindness educational experience (the unbloggable stuff, but good stuff) and it’s nice to see Princess Nagger really step up and want to help and be involved. Makes a mama proud! 🙂

  10. That looks like more than one fish…
    I’ll go check out your BBQ thingy.

  11. Look at all those fish tanks! How great!
    Just last night we were walking through a parking lot and my oldest says “Look mommy, someone threw their trash on the ground, that’s not right, I’m going to pick it up and throw it in the trash can”

    I guess it’s not servicing other’s but it is servicing the Earth and helping our community look pretty I suppose!

  12. How sweet!

  13. I do try to teach my children about kindnesses to others (including service). We do for others because we enjoy it & it makes them happy. I hope they take what I teach them & use it when they are functioning members of society.

  14. That is so sweet!

    We do a few things here and there. Im always trying to show them little ways to help people/animals.

  15. What a great picture, and a nice thing to do!

  16. I think it’s very important to introduce the ‘art’ of ‘service’ from very early on. Like helping and being kind to others, starting to do little things inside the family and towards others, treating everybody the way you want to be treated yourself. It’s also boosting the toddlers self-esteem because the reaction this causes is very positive.

  17. I try very hard to teach my girls to be kind to others (and each other lol). We worked an afternoon in the food pantry before and they “assisted” me this winter as I shoveled our elderly neighbors driveway. This isn’t so much service but yesterday as I was picking veggies from our garden they suggested giving some to our neighbors on both sides and I thought it was really sweet so I sent them to do it themselves. What a great post Angie! I hope that it makes people think today 🙂

  18. How sweet! You’re raising your kids well. Kudos! 🙂

    Have a nice day!

  19. The lessons taught when young really stand firm throughout their lives. Wonderful!

  20. I have been raising my kids to understand how important it is to help others and I hope it is something that sticks with them. My oldest seems to get it, now for the little ones…

  21. I’ve been doing community service since I was five and later became a nonprofit professional, so it’s a priority for me to pass that onto my daughter. We take her to every volunteer project even though she’s barely two years old. It’s never too early (or late) to get kids involved in giving back

  22. I’m pet sitting next week, I think my 3 year old will love being around a dog!

  23. I am slowly starting to introduce the concept of service to my oldest son. He is very inquisitive and aware of his surroundings so I think it may be time to increase his involvement. You are doing a great thing by teaching them early on. I think too many of our youth are missing this very important piece of their social education.

  24. It’s never too early to teach that!

    My daughter is in Girl Scouts and helping others is a big part of that. My son loves to help others, too. Right now he’s really into gardening. He is always checking on our plants as well as my in-laws garden.

  25. That is a really good idea for the kids to do!

  26. What a great lesson.

  27. Nothing makes me smile more than manners and service from my tiny guy… so exciting to see them wanting to help!!

  28. We haven’t had an opportunity to teach service yet – but, I think perhaps the bigger lesson your also teaching is responsibility & how to be accountable.

    For example, my daughter Madaline got kittens shortly after she turned 2 and from day one they were her responsibility to feed and water. We assisted (especially with the water part in the beginning) but, even at 2 she was capable of filling a recycled soup can with a scoop of food and putting it in their dish. Mads will turn 4 next month and I can say it is also her job to empty the silverware caddy in the dishwasher, fold the washcloths when the towels are washed and she still feeds & waters her cats everyday.

  29. Such a super lesson! Lovely!

  30. Agreed – it’s never too soon to teach about service and helping others. Even if it’s just a sibling or other family member.

  31. I agree w/you – and so important that we parents model that kind of behavior for our kids too. I don’t disagree w/mandatory community service in schools but there’s a big difference in volunteering because it’s the right thing to do and volunteering b/c you need 75 hours to qualify for a scholarship (in my opinion).

  32. great lesson…
    i just can not do it…
    i am terrified!
    🙂
    in college, my roomates parents went out of town..
    their bird died (even though we took care of it)
    i am so worried that something like that will happen again!

  33. Linking up for the first time and new follower!

  34. What a sweet picture of him feeding all of those fish! I think that’s awesome, and a reminder that I probably don’t teach my children this lesson enough. Great post!

  35. Very nice blog! Stopping by from Blog Frog and following :o)

    My son has disabilities and he often brings down-trodden teenagers to our home for us to help and give a place to live. I often say my son is being the Hands and Feet of Christ and he doesn’t even know it… and he doesn’t think twice about involving us in his ministry gol (giggle out loud).

    So glad to be buddies!

    Marisa and Brittany