This past Sunday, I was assigned to cover a peace rally at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach, which is one of Holden's favorite weekend haunts. More than 350 people were probably there, many of them in families, to bring attention to what they term is a senseless war with many thousands of U.S. troops being killed for no reason. Since I'm a reporter and am supposed to stay neutral on the topics I cover, at least publicly, we'll leave it at that.
But, it did get me thinking. What do we do with our time? And what are we teaching our kids to do with theirs? I couldn't help but admire these people for getting off their duff on what started as a dreary, rainy morning to make themselves heard - and show their children, and everyone else's children, the importance of having a voice. I've never been one to protest or have radical public opinions on current events and politics (and frankly, while attending college in San Francisco, the Protest Capital of the World, I got pretty annoyed with those I described as "professional protestors," willing to hold signs and chant about anything). However, while we're busy instilling values like education, an appreciation of the outdoors and empathy – I’m wondering if we’re failing to stress an important one: Making A Difference.
I have to admit, I actually hate that phrase because it is the tagline of the Daily Breeze and we’re supposed to be out there making a difference and inspiring others to do the same. I now know that’s not true – they really want us out there making them money. Lots and lots of money. But I digress. I’m now wondering about the example we’re setting for Holden and Riley by our dearth of charitable and selfless activities.
Sure, we often contribute blood and money to the Red Cross and make various donations to some pet funds, like those that protect the environment and research deadly diseases. When there’s a natural disaster somewhere in the world, we whip our checkbook right out. But it’s really not THAT much. Maybe we need to combine our lessons and get out there, get physical – either with our bodies or are voices – and show them how to stand up for what they believe in. We don’t have to be chanting “One, Two, Three, Four, We Don’t Want Your Stinkin’ War!” to demonstrate ways to give back to our community.
We try modeling polite and kind behavior, and we can tell that Holden is already thoughtful. But maybe, when we got about our weekends, we might want to take some time to pick a few pieces of trash up off the beach or take some clothing and toys to those who need it. It won’t be the most fun we had, but it will be worth it.
1 comment:
This is interesting. I recently heard (or read, or saw) a story about a family who, in addition to teaching their children about saving and spending, also taught them about charity. It went something like: With your $10 weekly allowance, you must put 60% in your savings, you can spend 15% on something you want now, you can set aside 15% for something you want later, and you will give 10% to your favorite charity. I really liked this... obviously the percentages are whatever you decide to make them... I thought that I would do this with my kids someday. Also, they did spend some of their time together as a family doing something for the community, either picking up trash like you mentioned, or building playgrounds, etc. I like the idea of eco trips... whenever I dive I pick up any trash I find down at the bottom, and encourage others to do the same.
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