It seems logical that if a child grows up without parental supervision and interaction, the child will indeed lead a more isolated lifestyle. I am not a sociologist, rather a parent who understands that direct “hands-on” communication with a child is particularly valuable during their formative years, which according to experts, is from birth to age five.
As a youngster, I was one of seven kids with two parents who both worked full-time. I cannot remember either parent showing me how to do anything other than tie my shoelaces, and I am certain I never saw either parent read a book to any of us. Occasionally our grandma would read to us from her Bible. Grandma brought religion into our home, and our parents covered nearly everything else by verbally teaching us “right from wrong.” They would always emphasize the importance of “being nice to each other and doing our best in school.” They sent us to school for one main reason, to one day become a person who would contribute something special to this world.
Throughout those years we learned strong work ethics, good manners, and how to set goals to one day accomplish. What we didn’t learn was how to give of ourselves to people outside of the family and the inner joy that could come of that! As an 18-year-old USPTA tennis professional, I experienced the joy that came from working with children. Politics, race nor religion had any influence on a tennis court. An ideal environment where all children could experience the fun of learning with other children without prejudice.
I have recently learned of an organization that is a curator for that kind of learning environment. This one is all about teaching parents how to give their children an opportunity to experience the joy of giving of themselves to others while learning about something that they themselves have an interest in doing. It's a win-win situation.
The program is called Doing Good Together or DGT. Founded by Jenny Friedman in 2004 and celebrating its 20th year, DGT is now in ten major cities throughout our country. This Minnesota-based nonprofit is fueled by the generosity of time, not dollars. Invested into by thousands of volunteers like yourself, your family, and your friends! “Nearly 95% of our resources are free, including our newsletter, blog, volunteer listings, printables, and parenting webinars," says DGT’s national executive director, MiaLisa Millares. "Our mission is to empower families to raise kids who care and contribute. We are all about kindness. We curate family-friendly volunteer opportunities through our website, providing opportunities for families who want to volunteer as a family and for anyone else too,” says MiaLisa.
Today’s parents are zealously searching for activities to do with their children. Something as simple as creating hand-painted greeting cards for local nursing homes is time well spent together. Or how about making tie blankets for rescue animals? Precious memories and opportunities for communication are created between parents and kids while they’re making this world a kinder and brighter place!
When my daughter was 13, I asked her to “smile and say hello” to a different person at school every day for an entire month. After the third person, something began to happen. Through the power of kindness, what she thought she was giving to someone, came back to her five times stronger! It was a feeling of happiness. One person can make a difference by planting just one seed of kindness today.
Learn more about how you can get involved and check out DGT's volunteer events and opportunities: https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/