Lori's thoughts

I remember when I was a kid that I was expected to help out around the house. In fact, I remember when I was five years old that I started drying dishes. I was cooking meals and cleaning the house for my family by the time I was in seventh grade. I don't remember anyone teaching me how to clean, cook meals or bake cookies, but I must have caught on through observation, expectations and following recipes. My Mom and Dad owned some apartments they rented to tenants and I remember helping them clean and do yard work with my brother and two sisters. It all just seemed a natural part of life and I thought it was cool.

Kids today would think I came from another planet and era! I mean isn't life about video games, internet, cell phones and MP3 players? I mean shouldn't we make life easier, more convenient and comfortable for our kids? Kids are losing out on some precious life lessons when it comes to involving them in serving others than ever before. Yet if kids were allowed or given more opportunities to do so, they would reap several benefits when they serve. Such as responsibility, leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving, self-respect, self-discipine, self motivation and tolerance.

According to Children for Children (www.children4children.org), when we teach a child to serve, we're also teaching that child to become a servant for life because children who serve become adults who serve. Consider these statistics from Engaging Youth in Lifelong Service: 1. Adults who volunteered as children give more money and volunteer more time than adults who began serving later in life. 2.Two-thirds of adult volunteers began serving as children. 3.Those who volunteer as children are twice as likely to volunteer as those who don't. 4.Across incomes and age groups, those who volunteered as children give and volunteer more than those who didn't. 5.Those who volunteered as youth and whose parents volunteered became the most generous adults when it comes to giving their time.

I hope by involving kids more in serving will bring them lifelong and fulfilling memories, so that when they are older they can say, "Do you remember when...?