TheTeenDoc.com

Changing the World One Teen at a Time

Thanksgiving is over, leftovers are being eaten and the wish lists are being developed for the various holidays.  It is always better to give than it is to receive, but teens are not always aware of that. They like to get the gift and this is understandable, we all do, but there is never a better time than the holidays to demonstrate how good it feels to give and then get the warmth and appreciation back.

How do you teach this lesson?

There are several volunteer opportunities all year long how much more during the holidays. The local churches and other places of worship, homeless and abuse shelters, which will need more support this year, toy drives, coat drives and food drives and just families that need your support. However sometimes you need only look in your backyard. Is there a family member who could use your support? A  neighbor who could use an extra hand? Free babysitting to run errands or tutoring, and sometimes you don’t even need to ask. If you see the need, provide the support. At the risk of feeling ashamed, those who need help might not ask.

A double win

Helping someone else is a double win: There is the give and the get. Your teen gives something and the recipient gets and says, “thank you,” but the thank you when it is very sincere and heartfelt is a unique experience to hear. To have donated what was to be your Christmas presents or to have asked for donations to your favorite charity and allowed them to meet a year-end goal that then allows them to support several hundred other people, or the food bank that now feeds tens more families is so unique a feeling that I believe it can be addicting. So the win is in the get, and then the give that the recipient gives in the, “Thank you.”

A thank you

When your teen has heard the most sincere thank you and seen how they can impact the world with so little effort, your teen will understand the impact their thank you has on others. It does serve to remind someone to say thank you whether it is a note after an  interview, the words after someone carries the groceries out to the car or to a parent who did a little more than they should to make their teen happy. 

The gift of kindness and doing for others is never out of vogue and sometimes that gift can begin with something as seemingly little as a “thank you.” Teens need to know that.

Related posts:

1. Giving the Gift of Self-Esteem
2. 4 Skills For ED Teens To Eat Better For The Holidays