babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Ted Williams, Man With the Golden Voice, Meet The Kids With the Golden Hearts
What about the little people giving back, everyday?
The story of Ted Williams, the homeless man with the “golden voice,” has been all over the news this week, a veritable rags-to-riches story. He’s been made famous by the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now has a job and home of his own. It’s a great story, but as Madeline said, what’s important is that we should teach our kids that “we shouldn’t just rescue the ones who can give something back; we should still offer assistance, attention, care and hope to those who need it, even if their voices are like gravel, their violin skills non-existent.” What about the little people out there, lending a hand to people like Ted Williams everyday? I’m talking about the really little people—our kids.
For months now, I’ve noticed a trend among my daughter’s 6- and 7-year-old friends, where they’re forgoing gifts at their birthday parties and instead asking that their friends bring a can of food for the local food pantry, or donate to a charity of the birthday girl’s choice. Wow! These are 6-year-olds. No toys? I’m so impressed with these kids. I’m not sure I would have been so generous at the age of 6. Or, errr … 36.
I’m not sure I could express in words how much it pains me to spend money on the plastic junk that our kids call toys, and I am so glad that it seems that other parents feel the same. They’re teaching their kids to do some good with the money that would have otherwise been spent on more toys that they most likely just don’t need.
The kids are obviously discussing these things in their own circles. When I asked my 6-year-old daughter if she knew what a New Year’s Resolution was, and if she had any, she promptly replied:
“Yes. They’re your intentions for the year. I intend to do chores and save my money so I can give it to the poor kids who don’t have as much as I have.”
Granted, her second resolution was to bring about world peace. But, hey – maybe these kids really will change the world, one birthday party at a time.
Still, I can’t help but wonder: Should I still bring a small gift to these birthday parties? I mean, they are just kids, afterall. Or, would that defeat the whole lesson that they’re teaching us parents?
Photo: realtimer.com
Go Back To Strollerderby
0 Comments
[...] Strollerderby [...]
Ted Williams, Man With the Golden Voice, Meet The Kids With the Golden Hearts | Family Health Corner commented on Jan 07 11 at 10:10 amJessica commented on Jan 07 11 at 11:41 amI was just faced with this dilemma my son who is 5 was invited to a b-day party but instead of presents they asked that you bring a slightly used book and they would donate to the library. I was having a hard time about this because i thought wow this kid is only 5 did they really want to do that or was it something that their parents suggested? I mean i’m sure there are kids out there all for it i just know a bunch that aren’t. So i asked the mom of the little girl and she said well the she wasn’t keen on the idea at first but then she came around and the mom said it’s up to you if you want to give her something i obviously can’t stop you. I still didnt know really what to do so we ended up bringing some books to donate and also a few books for the little girl. It was easy for my son to give away his books to donate however it had more of an issue with buying books for the little girl. He usually picks out the presents to give to the kids for the b-day which i think is sweet because he tries really hard to pick something they like. It was hard for him to understand why we couldn’t buy her the barbie doll (since he said but mommy she likes barbies). He finally was ok with picking out a book about barbie ha… but it’s a hard situation and i dont know the answer as to what to do.
Marj commented on Jan 07 11 at 11:46 amIt has been a very hard year for many, and I don’t think that has escaped many children. They may not have a lot of power but that doesn’t mean that they don’t notice the worry and grief and want to help in some way. I think kids who come of age during this time will be the next generation of grandparents with drawers full of rubber bands and purse full of sugar packets. They may only be children, but they know the world is a hard place where many do not have what they need, much less what they want.
Still, the story of this man’s rescue from the streets cheers me a bit. Maybe it’s a case of why this man? and not that? but I’m still happy to hear that people can get second chances, and no matter what has gone before, you can turn your life around. Sure, this is maybe a Cinderella version of that, which makes good headlines, but the reminder that it happens, perhaps is quieter ways usually, warms my heart.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0