Get the feedWhy serve
Wednesday, May 13th 2009
So I'm sitting here, sipping coffee, eating my cereal, and happily reading the news when I saw this paragraph in the AP called, "Youth Volunteering Dips for First Time Since 9/11:"
Volunteering has helped define a generation of young Americans who are known for their do-gooder ways. Many high schools require community service before graduation. And these days, donating time to a charitable organization is all but expected on a young person's college or job application. Even so, an analysis of federal data has found that the percentage of teens who volunteer dipped in recent years, ending an upward trend that began after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The article is less dire than the title would have you believe. The numbers suggest that kids today are still volunteering more than their parents did. But what made me gag on my coffee was the tone of the first paragraph... These days, donating time is expected on a resume? In "The Parents We Mean to Be" -- an amazing book Jean and I are reading -- Richard Weissbourd talks about how parents are so focused on achievement they neglect teaching the kids the virtue of caring for others.
All this to say, this question on Two Cents, combined with the article made me think we should pause a bit in the way we talk about charity to our kids and perhaps even change the way we think about it ourselves.
Nancy French
Nancy French is an author, commentator, and mother. Her next book, about the year her husband spent in Iraq is due out July 4, 2011. Connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NancyAndersonFrench and follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nancyafrench.
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