Teaching a Child to be Generous

In this day and age, teaching a child to be generous is against all odds. The Culture’s gratuitous gravitational force of “What’s in it for me?” is buttressed by the social media’s message of “Selfies”. The relentless bombardment of “personal tweets” reduces the resolve to be concerned about others to the rubble of Dresden. A child is defenseless against the push-pull of Madison Avenue wants and Wall Street’s provision to satisfy them.

My friend taught his son about being generous by teaching him about donating.

One way to encourage a child’s generosity is to give the child a dollar at the beginning of the Sunday Service. Letting the child hold the buck in his hand from the beginning of the service makes it his/hers. It’s now his/her buck.

When he collection basket comes around, let him/her watch you put your money into the basket, then let him/her put the dollar into the basket. Do that every Sunday, from the age of 5, and never stop, even into adulthood.

A few months ago, my friend left his wallet in the car. His 32-year old son happened to join him for the Sunday Church Service. When the collection basket was a few pews away, my friend realized that he didn’t have his wallet. He left it in the car. He felt a tug on his arm. His son handed him a buck. Their eyes met. Nothing was said. They both smiled when my friend dropped the buck into the basket.

The above YouTube music video Expresses the Essence of sharing what you have, asking nothing in return.

My friend’s son is now a generous donor at his church and in the community where he lives.

Putting a “Buck in the Basket” each Sunday is an act of Love.