What Really Matters

Since last holiday (Thanksgiving/Christmas) season, I have been on a mission to find local groups that our family can volunteer with together.  Its been quite a challenge, because so many groups have a lot of requirements regarding ages.  We can't volunteer at the Soup Kitchen, because the kids aren't old enough.  We can't deliver food to shut-ins, because the kids aren't old enough.  Its really frustrating because we want so much to teach our children what is really important in the world, and make them realize how fortunate they are. And sometimes, we want them to see how selfish they are - because even as adults, we need to be reminded of that.  Unfortunately, our children are being raised in a time when everything is handed to them.  They are surrounded by people who believe they are "entitled" to whatever their current desire is.  They lose the understanding that they need to work for want they want, and that sometimes, the answer is no.  That is particularly a challenge when Vince and I have to balance the actions of our ex-spouses - who may or may not believe the same things that we do.

I am not blaming anyone.  I know that we spoil our kids.  I know that Jake gets many things that we wants and doesn't need.  As a parent, I want him to be happy and have things that he likes.  I want to give him things.  But I also have to balance that with teaching him that things aren't what is important.  We way to often find that we spend money on things - for Christmas, birthdays, "just because" - and quickly find them broken, discarded, or forgotten about.  Are these things making memories for our children?  In twenty years, when our children sit around laughing and talking about the great things they remember from the childhood (i can only hope), with they be talking about the remote control truck they had?  Or the vast quantity of Pokemon cards they collected?  Or the iPod that they carried with them everywhere?

So we are trying to spend our money on things that matter more.  Things that make memories for us, and them.  Our monthly family activities are definitely a step in that direction.  We are also constantly looking for opportunities to give back, to care for others as Christ did, to "serve the under-served", to let our children see that the world is about much, much more than just them.