Getting Rid of the 'Gimmes'

I have a preschooler whose favorite phrase is "Can I have that?"  Drives me crazy.  "We'll put it on the list" is easier sometimes than trying to explain that she's got more than enough of everything, and needs nothing.  BUT, it's important to have those talks from time to time, and to teach them the importance of giving and helping others. 

At our kids' school, there's a service project or a "cause" families can choose to support each month, and the school has a volunteer who coordinates mission projects during the school year.  These are easy opportunies for the family to help. We've donated change to help buy books for the school at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, toys for Christmas gifts for kids at the Joy House, coats for kids who need them, etc.  We try to talk about where the items are going, and reinforce how blessed our family is, and to try to be more conscious of it on a daily basis.

More than just giving money or things, the kids can get involved and participate in some of the monthly projects.  In October, the middle schoolers spend their own money (or some from mom & dad) to purchase items to fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  I like to drive for this field trip, and help the kids shop — it's interesting to watch them try to balance the fun things with the necessities, like toothbrushes and soap, and to get the most value for the money.  The kids also cover the shipping costs for the boxes.  They've also gone to the rescue mission to help decorate for the holidays.  Our family has served meals at the rescue mission in the past. 

In March, our school will be conducting another shoe drive for Soles for Jesus.  Our family really loves this organization.  The founder is a mom at our school who was moved to action a few years ago on a trip to Ethiopia to put shoes on the feet of the people she met who had none.  If your family is like ours, you have more shoes than you need.  We've happily donated shoes our kids had outgrown or that we had stopped wearing in the past, and we have a box collecting the latest ones for our the school drive in March.  

Our family has also volunteered to help sort the shoes collected at the Soles for Jesus warehouse.  Our teenage son helped band and label shoes with sizes for easy distribution, and helped pack them in boxes by size.  Our younger daughter happened to tag along due to a babysitter falling through, though kids are supposed to be 12+.  She diligently worked delivering shoes to the "clean" bin (volunteers clean shoes that need it, even using a toothbrush to get dirt off to make sure the shoes look their best).  She also helped match lonely shoes that had been separated from their mates. 

THAT'S where the connection was made with our kids — when they were using their own hands to help, and taking in all of the work that was involved, and hearing about the destination of the shoes they had donated.  They talked about it for days afterward, and are truly grateful for everything they have, including more than one pair of shoes, and new shoes whenever they need them. 

So, when the "gimmes" really start to kick in, it's usually time to do something to cure them — we're going to schedule a time to go sort shoes again soon, and the kids are going to go through their clothes and toys to see if they could donate some items.

By the way ... If your family has shoes sitting around that aren't being worn or have been outgrown, and you'd like to donate them to Soles for Jesus, you can drop them off at our school (Brookfield Christian School) during the month of March, or check out the SFJ website for drop sites and events.  You can aso sign up to receive updates and find out when sorting events are taking place.