58 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • NOVEMBER 2019
PARENTING TIPS
GIVING BACK
TEACHING KIDS BENEVOLENCE
BY REBEKAH YAHOVES
Each year, the Casesa family from
Franklin Square visits Target to purchase
carts of crayons, craft items,
and decks of cards. All five members
then convene at the dining room table
to assemble the stockings they plan to
donate to children’s hospitals.
Lisa Casesa says that kids who receive
oodles of holiday gifts have trouble
imagining what it is like to look forward
to a few mini-goodies. Many
believe that youngsters who donate
their time to those less fortunate have
better self-esteem, more compassion,
and greater gratitude than their peers.
“A lot of children don’t understand
how a stocking filled with toys could
be the only thing kids get for the season,”
she says.
How can you teach your little ones to
love giving back this holiday season?
Here are some ideas.
LET THEM PLAY
GROWN-UP
Nothing teaches children the
realities of poverty like having
to figure out financial problems
for themselves.
Long Island Cares hosts Hunger
101 events during the holidays
every year. Children
are given play money and
told to make priorities for
spending on their basic
needs.
“Opportunities like
this provide teachable
moments,” says CEO Paule
Patcher. “They sensitize
children to the needs of
those less fortunate than
themselves.”
ADD A PLAYLIST
Whether you’re filling shoeboxes
with gifts or visiting a soup kitchen,
let your kids sparkle up their service
by making memories while they
work.
Turn up your favorite holiday
tunes while kids bake
cookies for their elderly
neighbors, and let them each bring
a friend while you deliver the cookies.
The natural joy of the season
will enhance the satisfaction they
get from giving. And your juniors
will want to continue the tradition
each year.
GET PERSONAL
There is no shortage of service opportunities
on Long Island.
Kids can donate clothes, adopt a family,
or rake leaves for their neighbors.
What those they serve may be most
eager for is a new friend or someone
to listen to their story. Your tots
will remember that family they
had dinner with, or the folks at a
nursing home who told them about
their school days, much more than
a drop-off.
And they might even learn a few
lessons along the way!
Teaching kids to give back grows their charitable
spirit. (Getty Images)
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
