Giving

Are You or Your Children Natural Givers?

 

What is the point of giving anyway?  Is it to feel good inside?  Is it to help build a strong community? Is it to see what you get in return?  A wise man once said “Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give.” ― Ben Carson.  Giving is essential in order to live a long happy life.  I haven’t always been a giver of money but love to give other things.

After getting married to a natural giver and having our first child, we decided to give by taking an angel from a tree in the mall, buying that angel a gift and returning it to that tree.  That felt really good.  Did we get anything materialistic in return, no but we got the feeling of happiness.  I remember this day as if it were yesterday because when we put the gift under the tree we had our, at the time, 2 year old daughter put the gift under the tree.  I didn’t know if she is truly a natural giver or not but you can definitely nurture someone into being a giver.

The following year, some friends of ours were having financial difficulties do to an automobile accident.  These friends always prepared a beautiful meal for Thanksgiving but couldn’t afford to do so this particular year.  We decided that we would buy all of the necessary ingredients to make a complete meal for the family which included the turkey, side dishes, and desert.  At that point we weren’t sure if the family had milk, butter, eggs, etc.  So we decided that we would get those ingredients as well.  We put everything in a cooler and after dark we placed it on their porch so they could continue to carry on their traditions as normal.  To this day it has been an anonymous gift and we know it was the right thing to do.

Going through the Financial Peace University classes (http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/) and volunteering to help teach the classes has been such a blessing in our lives because I look at money differently now.  We recently started to give, yes give, our money away.   We had no reservations about doing it either the way we had in the past.  My husband and I truly look forward to the day that we have made it through all of the baby steps and can give like never before.

The best part about this whole process is that our children have been on the ride with us the whole entire time.  So even if they aren’t natural givers they will see us give and give and give some more.  This will aid in the process of making them givers.  They too will be able to live in happiness because of their willingness to give.  (https://www.smartmoneysmartkids.com/) This past Sunday, our daughter emptied out her give envelope into her tithes envelope and was so excited to take it to the president of our church.  She had no hesitation in giving her hard earned money away and she is seven years old.  My husband and I are very proud of her and her willingness to give to others.  We have been and will be able to continue to show them that giving comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms.  There are different types of giving for different ages, you must choose what is best for you.  Children learn by the examples in their lives; if you want them to give you must pave the way.