This past weekend my family got to experience something for the very first time. We worked together to serve breakfast and hand out Christmas presents to needy families. I am so grateful for the experience and for the changes I saw in my children.
I would love to say that my children went into this experience with enthusiasm but alas, the teenage thought process of the world being all about them was ruling its ugly head.
One of my teens was absolutely horrified that we would have to be somewhere at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Didn’t I know that they needed to sleep in?
Another child protested that it wasn’t really volunteer work if we were forcing them to do it. You couldn’t really argue with that, there was some validity to it. However it didn’t matter. They were going to do this whether they liked it or not.
We live in Milwaukee and you should know that this is a pretty segregated city. We were going to be helping out at another side of town, in a more “dicey” area. So my children were going to experience a bit of a culture shock and a glimpse into what some of the poorer areas of Milwaukee look like.
The breakfast was held in this old warehouse that had been abandoned. Apparently a young couple is leasing it and is in the process of renovating it in order to do outreaches to the surrounding community. Walking into this building almost felt like walking into a haunted house.
My children were immediately uncomfortable. They were uncomfortable with the area we were in and they were uncomfortable about the building. However they did see some familiar faces of people from our church so that seemed to help.
The plan for the morning was that as each family came in they would register, get a family Christmas photo taken, be served a breakfast of pancakes and sausage, listen to a Christian rap artist perform and then get bags of Christmas presents before they left. All of this was completely donated.
As the morning began I had to nudge my husband. One of my children in particular had stated to us earlier that they were not happy about being forced to do this and they were not going to smile.
I looked over and saw that same child wearing a Santa hat, which I would have thought would be totally un-cool, and had the biggest smile on their face. My husband and I laughed.
Another one of our children who never spends time in the kitchen and can only make a bowl of cereal was in the kitchen helping prepare the pancake batter. And yet again, that child had a smile on their face.
As the morning progressed I was absolutely impressed and in awe of my children who joyfully and willingly served others. One child in particular was especially aware of specific needs that some families had and would inform me of them.
Suddenly the world being all about me attitude disappeared. My children were able to see that another world is out there and they are struggling. I think my children were able to really get a sense of appreciation for their lives. They also saw how much joy there is in giving to others.
Someone mentioned to us that they will be doing this again in February for Valentine’s Day. I asked my children what they thought about that and all three said they want to do it again.
I wish we would have started doing this a long time ago as a family. It is amazing how unselfish a teen can quickly become when they see another side. Teens have it in them to give; we just need to provide those opportunities.
Related Articles:
Is Teen Rudeness Really a Trend?
Teens and Toddlers Aren’t that Much Different