Helping Others

Life is such a blessing and I want to live mine in such a way that I am always cognizant of how truly blessed I am. For me, that means making sure that helping others is a habitual aspect of my life.

As a stay at home mom of two kids under age four, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that I can’t do much in terms of helping others because I have to take care of my children. Of course, that’s true. I can’t go wherever I want whenever I want. My first obligation is being a good mother. I can’t haul them to soup kitchens or late-night fundraisers.

Part of being a good mother, though, is teaching my children to help others, and the best way to do that is through example.

Right now, I find ways to help others by shopping with coupons. When I shop the deals, I always try to pick up whatever is free or close to it, even if I don’t need those items. Then, I donate the extra items I’ve accumulated to appropriate charities. I talk to my daughter (age three and a half) a lot about what I’m doing. She now knows that when we go to a store, we often are not shopping for ourselves. In fact, she will now pick up things and ask, “Can we buy this? Someone else might need it!”

I know that there are many other things that we could be doing, but this works for us. How do you teach your children about helping others?

Laura Brown

Laura Brown is a stay at home mom of two little ones. She happily holds the title of CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of her family. She blogs about her money-saving ways at Blessings in Bargains.