To expand on my post from last week, Teaching Children about Gratitude and Giving, I asked a few friends to share their Family's Giving Story. In today's post, my friend Lori tells us her Family's story.
Lori lives in Dallas, Texas
Her Family: Married with one son - 2 years 10 months old and a 13 year old Australian Shepard
Professional Background: Nearly 20 years of experience in Public Relations
What She's Up to Right Now: Currently freelancing part time and looking to expand that to 3/4 time which allows me to help contribute financially and gives more flexibility for family/mommy time.
Her Favorite Book of the Moment: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr -- it won the Pulitzer Prize
Q&A
Q: Can you share with us about a time when your family received a gift of support during a time of difficulty?
A: I don't have a story of a financial gift of support in the traditional sense, however when Colin was born, the church choir I sang in collected money to provide restaurant gift certificates that certainly assisted us in terms of not having to worry about cooking as new parents. Similarly our Sunday School class provided home cooked meals during the first couple of weeks with a newborn.
Q: What techniques do you use or plan to use to help your child understand the concept of giving and why it is important?
A: Since Colin is not yet three, we haven't yet had the "giving to those in need" discussion. However, we send his clothes, etc. to his younger cousin and we talk about how we are giving them to his cousin to use. Colin's day care has canned food drives and collections for a variety of things throughout the year so we have the opportunity to discuss what that means.
Q: How does your family give throughout the year and during the holiday season in particular?
A: While we were dating, my now husband and I started a tradition of picking one or two children from the Salvation Army Angel Tree [in order to provide gifts]. I'd like to think that we will continue that with Colin so he understands that not all children have as much as he does and that it feels good to provide happiness to others.
Thank you, Lori, for sharing your story and the beautiful picture of your family with us! Sending you love and blessings!
(Photo courtesy of Lori)