You’re fighting a cold and struggle in with the evening’s shopping. The kid’s trail in with their bags and letters home. Within minutes you’re busy putting away the items and the kids are no where to be seen. They went to put their bags away and moved onto the next thing.
Interestingly enough you continue to put away the shopping because it’s easier if it’s just you. You know where it all goes. Plus all the other reasons you give at the time. Now this isn’t leading up to the kids need to put away the shopping. What is interesting is that we all arrived together and somehow it’s alright for us all to slip gently and quickly into doing our own thing.
Everyone loves it when someone offers help.
Not everyone will take the help or want it but the offer is important. It shows concern and thought.
This is something that children don’t always naturally have. That’s not to slur a whole group. Naturally there’ll be exceptions. Generally speaking many children, mine included, need opportunity to genuinely show concern and thought for someone else other that themselves- regularly.
How do you practice concern and thought regularly in your home?
Many times we talk about sick and ill people in the hospital we’re going to visit. But these don’t come up regularly. Often children can’t go in hospital to visit.
We may see someone struggling on the street and offer to help but we ourselves find it hard to model because of the response we might receive.
All of these focus on helping others outside our family. All good things but help, concern must start in the home.
When your big brother helps you with folding your laundry. Not because he’s been asked but because he can see bundling it up in a ball will get you nowhere fast. With a gentle touch and laugh they do it together. ( This time. Not all the time). It matters.
When you’re struggling with pg 6 of the Lego manual and you realise you missed a crucial step back on page 3. It’s your sibling who helps you undo and build it back up. It touches.
When you come home from school and find that you have many contributions to do but your brothers want to play out. They help you get it done so you can go play. You love it!
Tangible ways within the family that kids see love in action.
What can I do to help?
Simple.
Welcome back to day 18 of 31 days of growing family conversations. This week the focus has been on conversations we should have with our children to grow our family closer.
We feel good and it’s the right thing to help other people. When we help our family the children keep on seeing the results of the help. Introduce a new question that they should try and ask of a member of the family. Watch as it spreads outside your family to others.
Conversation: Teach the children this phrase and challenge them to use it within the family:What can I do to help? Model the phrase yourself and tag team it. Send the children over to help someone in the family if you see the need- quietly.
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