As parents, we all hope we’re raising kind children. For Danielle Smith, it only took some lemonade to help her recognize her children’s capacity for kindness.
Danielle is a mother of two and founder of ExtraordinaryMommy.com, and like many other parents, she wanted to find a way to impress upon her children the importance of being kind, doing good and giving back. So, she started small with a neighborhood lemonade stand and a goal of raising money to combat child hunger.
It was extraordinary, she says, to see how much fun her children had engaging others and talking about why they were selling lemonade. From that experience, Danielle realized that there’s not only joy in helping others but also in creating another generation of those who have a heart for helping.
A firm believer in her responsibility to teach her children to be good citizens of the world, “Give good, Get good,” became Danielle’s family motto. Danielle has found that centering every interaction and learning opportunity on kindness has allowed her children to see that their “powers of good” matter each and every time they use them – whether it’s by saying “please” and “thank you,” opening doors for people, buying books for a classroom or donating food to a local shelter.
How can you ground your children in kindness and help them see the benefit of their actions? Below, Danielle shares five tips to shifting your family’s focus to “giving good”:
- Start small. Being kind doesn’t have to mean an elaborate, time-consuming gesture. Teach your children that even the smallest of good deeds can brighten someone’s day and make the world a more positive place.
- Start early. Help your children approach every interaction with a filter of kindness – “Am I being kind?” No matter who they’re with – a sibling, a friend, adults or people in need – they won’t go wrong.
- Show your kids what kindness looks like. Children often mimic what they see, and when they watch us, as parents, being kind they are more apt to do the same. For your family, giving back may be volunteering time or dedicating a small amount of money to a cause that matters; regardless of the method it’s important that your children see the kindness in action.
- Have conversations about what “giving good” means. Tell your children about the people and causes we think need our love and attention, and just as importantly, why that is. Help them to understand that even one person can have an impact, and that by supporting the companies and businesses that make giving a priority, the “giving good” cycle perpetuates. Talk regularly about how, as a family, you can do more.
- Use the power of the Internet. Online communities are powerful, virtual “phone trees” that have the ability to raise money, share love and spread good news every day. There are a variety of platforms that your family can use to do extraordinary good and engage with others who are doing the same – choose the one that resonates most and search for the causes that are most important to you.
Online communities allow families to give as much or as little as they want, says Danielle, and they are excellent tools for empowering the next generation to “give good.”
“By giving good, our worlds exponentially improve – we are happier, more fulfilled and we can see the benefits of our actions.”