06 Apr 2009 07:31 AM

What do our children really need to find true happiness?

More expensive toys? Video games? Blockbuster movies? The latest electronic device? Designer clothes? A scooter, perhaps?

We all know that material things never deliver true happiness. Often, they just catch us in their cycle of craving the next bigger, newer, better, more expensive version. Yet, most of us keep going back for more. (-:

True happiness in life comes from being comfortable with who we are and what we accomplish in our lives. The things we own do not determine our happiness; our inner character does. One Christmas Eve, I read an article by General Colin Powell. After the advertising excesses of the season, I had been looking for items to turn our attention back to non-material joys. Two of General Powell’s paragraphs stood out:

” This is the season when children tear through holiday catalogs and devour TV ads for the toy of the year, make wishes for those goodies and wait eagerly to see if their wishes will come true.

” Yet delivering a sackful of glittery packages will be for naught if we don’t give our children the gifts they truly need to build character and competence - gifts that will enable them to find happiness, satisfaction and success.”

General Powell and his wife Alma are leading a national crusade called America’s Promise - The Alliance for Youth. The organization is founded on the concept of giving our children the gift of five simple promises. Every adult can make these gifts to help children grow up to be their best.

The America’s Promise home page (http://www.americaspromise.org/ ) has links to detailed descriptions of each of the gifts above. Their site also links to the national volunteer web site, ServeNet. You’ll find more details about ServeNet in our website: http://www.lifeskills4kids.com/

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