This past weekend my 8-year old son had three-months of work and energy come to fruition.  After seeing Craig Kielburger speak (Free the Children - see link below)  in early May, my boy decided he wanted to raise enough to build a well for a village in Kenya.  He made a lovely flyer that he delivered to all the neighbours advertising a street sale and that he was accepting donations.  He set the date, worked out some advertising (with parent help, of course) and made (many many) posters to direct likely yard-salers to our street.

He stuffed grab-bags, collected donations and coerced friends and family to bake, face-paint and generally support this endeavour.  At 6:45 in the morning I took his picture, proudly standing in front of many tables of stuff awaiting the start of the sale.  He looked over at me proudly and said “I’ve waited so long for this day”.

Wow - I looked at him with tears in my eyes.  Yes he had.  And worked hard.  And sacrificed (first round competitive hockey tryouts ended up being at exactly the same time as the Street Sale and so he missed them).

Later that night, with friends and family around for a neighbourhood bar-b-que he came over to me, quietly hugged me and said “This has been a great day”.  Indeed.

It’s impossible to know the long-term impact that social giving and global awareness will have on him, after organizing something like this.  He still has a ways to go to raise the money needed for a well.  But - he understands and can explain to you why it’s important for kids to have clean water.  And why we need to do what we can so that all children have a chance to drink clean water.

On a larger scale - as parents - let’s try to take some time to talk to our kids about all those other children who need.  I don’t think our kids need to hear about how “they have so much, and others have so little” - though it’s true.  We can, though, activate our kids to learn a bit about children in another country and what those kids need to be able to learn; to live; to be healthy. THEN - most children will want to do something.  Their wonderful minds and spirits tell them - we can do something about this.  We will do something about this.

And so, we adults in their lives, need to then help them to realize this vision of helping others.  However we can.  As often as possible.  There are lots of life lessons learned in planning a Street Sale that benefits other kids.  Why not take some time for your family to pick one thing that matters to you, and then make a plan to make a change.

MeToWe and Free the Children have great resources to help you along this journey.  As a family - you can work together, or let your child take the lead and support them.  Only good can come from this.  Do it today.

http://www.freethechildren.com/

http://metowe.com/

It really does.  I remember being struck by how much of an adjustment it was to have children.  Wonderful-yes.  But adjustment nonetheless.  Initially new parents cope by seeking out other people to help them (or, in a wonderful world, those people come offering to help … ).  This is the beginning of the village in raising your new baby (and helping you in the process, as a resident villager).

Many people over the years have commented on how very much boys in our community need their village to participate in raising them.  And the “village” doesn’t specifically have to do with the people living in your home or next door.  The village is really everyone who is actively involved in their lives.  And, of course, in this day-and-age, our definition of family is changing for the better as well - to include more than just blood-relatives.  It’s good friends, teachers, neighbours:  you know, those folks that are just like family only you’re not specifically related to them.

I will talk more about Villages in the future - but for today, I’d like to post this article on Grandparents.  How very important Grandparents are.  And you know what?  These can specifically be your parents / your partner’s parents, but it’s also those “older” folks that have a strong and positive relationship with your kids.  As an example, both of our sets of parents live out of town (and we miss them dearly, and wish they were closer … but that’s another day).

We have been truly blessed with friends (married, 55′ish and live nearby) who love our boys and are a wonderful grandparent-type to them.  They took them camping for the first time in their lives; hiking; throw them in the pool; and (most recently) were the arms outstretched when the baby took his very first steps (!!!).  Most importantly, they love them and hug them and let the boys know that they are special people in their world.  And yes - they teach them.

Enjoy the attached article and let me know what you think.

The Importance of Grandparents

Well - Oprah has her list - and so now I have mine too.  I don’t usually blog about other products or sites, but I’ll tell you about these two that are my new favourites:

www.joytshirt.com

I found this site online while researching a children’s aid organization called MeToWe.

On this site you get to pick out an original sketched t-shirt with the picture and a short bio of some other person that is around the world.

THEN - once you receive your t-shirt, you can upload an image of your choice and it will become someone else’s original T around the globe.  And the best part is that proceeds from the shirt go to a great organization:  Free the Children.

Ok - my next favourite new site and products are:

http://lifewithoutplastic.com

This is a lovely company out of Wakefield PQ that I heard of from my sister-in-law.  Every day, I try new ways to decrease the amount of a) chemicals and toxins and b) non-biodegradeable waste.  These products help me do both!  I ordered the baby dish set (adorable, well made), cereal bowls (a little on the small size for cereal [given how much cereal my boys eat] - but perfect for their salad or fruit for dessert) and the snack containers (lovelovelove them).

Customer service and fulfillment time were awesome.  Both delivered in paper (not plastic) - woohoo.  Prices are reasonable for the quality you’re receiving.

Check them out - let me know what you think.

Cheers and happy shopping!