Grasshopper New Media Presents...

Today I’d like to cover something that is at the core of my person: Altruism.

As parents, you know that kids are not born completely altruistic. They may be a little charitable here or there, but for the most part, kids can be darned selfish. And of course this makes sense, considering how scary the world is. If you were two feet tall, you’d want to keep all the blocks for yourself, ’cause hey, who knows, someone bigger might come along any minute and enforce a nap or something equally horrific.

I don’t mean to imply that your kids, that my kids will stay selfish forever. But altruism, that true concept of giving up something for someone else, without a thought as to getting anything in return, this needs to be taught. It’s like sharing, but they end up with nothing. As you’ve tried to teach sharing and saw the consternation and unease as your kids struggled with that concept, so too will there be a struggle with altruism. But I’m here to tell you that it can be done, and that the benefits are truly awesome. To have your teenage son call you while he’s out biking, just to ask if you want anything from the corner market, well, that’s a spectacular moment.

Certainly you’ve got a lot on your plate. But consider taking one bedtime this week to spend five minutes explaining altruism to your kids. Don’t go for the whole thing all at once, just give them the broad strokes, and see if they can get a handle on it without freaking out. If you can, over the long haul, convince them to spend part of their day thinking solely about others and not themselves, I would bet your family’s happiness would get kicked up a notch. Bam!