A Lesson In Altruism

We are always looking for opportunities to have Owyn help people in his community who are less fortunate than him.  A difficult concept to teach a four year old, but one that needs to be taught. 

Owyn's school is very good about collecting items for donations - shoes for Haiti, food for the crisis center, penny drive for earthquake or flood relief, etc.  But we can always do more.  Should do more.
 
We have him pick out a bag of food for the crisis center on his birthday, Thanksgiving and sometime around Christmas.  Last year on his birthday, he even picked out a cake mix and can of frosting because, as he explained to me, "Mom, it might be someone's birthday and they won't have money to get a cake." 

This year, we did two new things.  First, we bought gifts for 2 children through a wish list at our bank.  I told Owyn that some kids don't get gifts for Christmas, and he replied, "But Mommy, Santa brings all kids a present."  True.  But some kids don't get gifts from their parents, grandparents, and siblings.  So we set out to find two gifts to donate to children in need, and talked about how lucky we are that we are able to give and receive gifts and how happy two strangers will be this Christmas when they get these two unexpected gifts. 

Our second new thing happened yesterday, and we weren't sure how he would react to it.  Jack has been volunteering at the free lunch in town for a few years, and he has been wanting to take Owyn for some time.  But there's only so much a 2, 3, or 4 year old can do to truly be "helpful" at a free lunch.  This year, however, was Owyn's year.  He didn't want to go, but we told him what some possible jobs might be for him, and I quickly discovered that he was just nervous because he didn't know what to expect.  Owyn is not one to jump into a new experience with eagerness, but he took his Daddy's hand and went in the door. 

The result - he had a blast!  He told me all that he did, with a big smile on his face.  Here are some of the things he said to describe his experience:

"Mom, I helped!  I was in charge of picking up all the salt and pepper shakers off the tables." 
"I wiped the tables.  I got my shirt a little bit wet, but it's okay."
"They gave us some cookies!"

Me:  "Owyn, it takes a lot of volunteers to make lunch, serve lunch, and clean up lunch for so many people.  Didn't it make you feel good in your heart to do something to help someone else and make them happy?"

Owyn:  "I enjoyed it more than I looked.  When I volunteer with Daddy again at the free lunch, I'm going to eat the food too."

We're calling this a successful lesson.  But we'll keep teaching.