What Kids Need: Service to Others

What Kids Need: Service to Others

It is a proven research fact that kids who serve the community one hour or more a week are more resilient to the risk-related behaviors of their youth.  I challenge our parents today to get their kids involved in a community service event to serve regularly.  If one-hour a week is too much, schedule something one to two times a month.  There are many opportunities, nursing homes, reading to the elderly, just stopping by to visit someone older and serving the homeless at a homeless shelter, or playing music on their instrument of choice.

Anything will add value to others and will also add resilience to their life.  When kids serve others, they see a bigger picture of life; they understand that their problems are nothing.

Here’s what I know. When we serve others, our problems either fade away or solve themselves—serving others works because we give to others through our talents.  The impetus must come from an adult but occasionally comes from the child.  We hear nearly every day about a cause or an event that a child organized.  With the help of an adult, that has gone viral and now is making a difference globally.  What a great gift to your child!  I can’t think of a better way to raise their self-esteem than by serving others.

As a child, I learned service to others through participating in the youth group at church, Boy Scouts, and DeMolay, to mention a few.  I remember getting up early on a Saturday to gather with my friends to

I challenge you today to start thinking with your child about how they can provide a service to the benefit of others.  I think you will find a new attitude from your child towards others and towards life.

In a sense, Global Concerns can involve Service to Others–find a link here What Kids Need: Global Concerns – Dr. Rich Patterson (pattersonphd.com)

Service to Others contributes to a positive you, writes Chad Cooper, see his link here The importance of being in service to others for your success. | by Chad E Cooper | Thrive Global | Medium

Yours for Better Parenting,

Rich