Teaching Kids About Charity

Daddy Brad: Welcome back to The Lounge. We are here at beautiful downtown Austin, Texas at Freddie’s place out on the back deck underneath the beautiful canopy of live oaks. We are going to have some drinks, some good food and have a great parenting conversation, I am Daddy Brad. Daddy Owen: I am Daddy Owen. And this week’s lounge is brought to you by charitywater.org. Over a billion people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water. It makes it really difficult make a descent margarita. So, visit charitywater.org. Daddy Clay: Is that on the script? Is that what it says – a descent margarita? I am Daddy Clay and this week’s question is – Daddy Brad: What do you teach your children about giving to charities and about doing community service? Daddy Clay: You got to set a good example, first of all. Male 1: Yes, I tried to teach them that we have a privileged life and that we should be very thankful for what we have. Male 2: Well, what I did when I was young was like whole Boy Scout clean up type of thing. Like one time we had to clean up a graveyard and did turn out too well for some of the scouts. Female 1: We will talk about giving some of her toys and I am like, “Let us give that to kids who need toys.” Female 2: We had so many toys in the toy room. You know, just coming out of everywhere and I said to our daughter, KC, who is three-and-a-half, “That is it! We are going to give some toys to the boys and girls who need them.” Female 3: I think just that early, we try to have like a spirit of compassion in our house and the way that we talk about the world. Female 2: So, she went through, picked out toys to give, she still have several bags, we got in the car to go to Goodwill. Male 1: My angle is more about making the world a more beautiful place. Daddy Owen: So, more on environmental. Male 1: Well, no. Like barely by making art. Female 2: She is watching Finding Nemo in the back of the car. We pull up some up some iceman, opens the trunk, takes out the toys, give to the receiver and we drive away. Like five minutes later, she gets up and she was like, “When will we meet the nice girls and boys?” Missed it altogether. Daddy Clay: She had a McDonald’s like giving experience. Female 2: I think it is better than McDonald’s giving experience. Male 3: We are not very charitable people but the school that our daughter, KC, goes to every Friday; we have to give her money to bring in her Neil Sedaka box. Female 1: In a Jewish household, you have the Sedaka box and it is where you put your spare change and then you will give it all to charity. Male 3: Sedaka or Seduko or -- Daddy Owen: The charity piggy bank which considering crucial rules is an awful name for it. Daddy Clay: You are Jewish? Male 3: Yes, I am. I am a Christmas Jew – Easter bunny, presents under the tree. Male 4: I find more advantage in teaching them in teaching them more about charity but following their own instincts. Male 5: Yes, sometimes, giving them the opportunity when stand at the stop light -- Daddy Owen: Do you really do that? Do you really give? Daddy Brad: Yes, my kids tell me, “We should help that person. So, I give him a little bit.” Child: The homeless on the side of the street, I think need a little love. Male 5: That is the opportunity that opens a conversation about what that person’s life is like. Child: When I am driving with you they are just holding their male side and you show no love, man! You just drive, wide by. Male 5: What they do not have and how they are probably homeless and do not have any family or -- Child: See, I always think you should give something to the homeless. Daddy Clay: Okay. Child: Because they seem very pitiful. Male 5: These kids would never know what that means and never even imagine that somebody has something like that. Daddy Clay: Those ideas were not from me. It comes on from my own kid. Male 4: I had to talk to my girls quite a bit about the fact that some of those dollar bills were probably being put to good use and some of those dollar bills are p