It's Always the Right Time to Be Charitable

At the end of each year, we would sit down with our kids and create a very, very rough spreadsheet of their annual income and outgo. We started this as soon as they could add and subtract.

They received an allowance when they were in grammar school which they subsidized with gifts and sometimes money earned from neighborhood chores.

When they were in junior high, we added lunch money (which they could spend or save by making their own lunches) and they started babysitting. By high school, they had parttime and summer jobs. Through eighth grade, they received their allowance weekly; in high school, monthly; in college, at the beginning of each semester. We paid for clothes, food, insurance, vacations. They paid for gas, entertainment, outside meals, etc. It worked well. Not one time did either of them ever come back early asking for more money.

One of the topics we always addressed at our annual, family finances meeting, was charitable donations. Right from the start, we insisted that they choose a charity (Boy Scouts and the YMCA were early favorites) and make a donation of 10% of their savings. They learned to prepare for this and began setting aside money for these contributions. Again, it worked remarkably well.

This week, our granddaughter was tasked with bringing rice to kindergarten. Her public school had a food drive and the youngest class was in charge of rice. Our daughter asked her if she knew why she was bringing boxes of food to school. She didn’t. So, her mother explained it to her, about gratefulness and helping neighbors.

At this time of year, when we shower those we love with so many gifts and treats, it is vital to remember to share our bounty. It is never, ever too early to learn this lesson. Our granddaughter proudly brought her rice to school and set it into the classroom container. She took ownership of it. Maybe she didn’t fully understand it’s significance, but she will as she is asked again and again to be kind and to share.

Have a wonderful holiday season. Be kind. Share.