Volunteering. Who has the time, right? One more thing to add to an already busy schedule and you don’t even get paid for it. So why do it? This week (April 12-18) is National Volunteer Week, and here is how my son got me started with volunteering.
You see, apparently I’m the crazy mom who added that one more thing. When my 9-year-old expressed interest in volunteering at an animal shelter, I searched to find a place that allowed minors to work with the animals. Thankfully a child in my Sunday School class told me about collecting money for her birthday, and donating it and her time to Pets Inc. Sure enough, the only animal place I found that allows minors to volunteer with a parent or guardian present is Pets Inc. (Of course there may be others that I didn’t find in my search because I wanted to stay close to home.)
After deciding on the place, I contacted the volunteer coordinator and the wheels were set in motion. We started volunteering a couple weeks later.
So why do it? I could certainly spend more time trying to keep the house a little cleaner. Okay, I’m not really giving up house cleaning to volunteer, I’m giving up my Sunday afternoon nap. Seriously though, there must be a reason I would add one more thing to an already busy life.
The reason: my son.
I saw his desire to volunteer as an opportunity for him to learn responsibility, commitment, and how to give of himself. I also saw it as a way to get him away from the computer, the TV, or simply shutting himself up in his room. I saw it as a way for him to do something (and it wouldn’t cost us any money, just time). And secretly, it is our time together. He is the only boy of three children and sometimes because of his health needs, he feels he only gets my uninterrupted time to deal with his health instead of doing the fun things a mom and son should be able to do.
Now, if you were to ask my son why he volunteers, he would let you in on a little secret. He really wanted to start doing this in hopes of coming across a pug waiting to be adopted. For some reason over the past year or so, he has fallen in love with pugs. He will also tell you he does it to help the dogs. You see, we are both allergic to cats, so we only work with the dogs.
We’ve only been 3 times so far, but my son already has a best and worst list. According to him, the best part of volunteering is playing with and walking the dogs. The worst, according to him, is sweeping the floors and bathing the dogs. Funny that bathing is the worst for him since it was dear old mom who did all the work that one time.
My best list goes a little deeper. For me, it is seeing the joy on my son’s face when he plays with each dog and takes them on a walk. It is hearing his laughter. It is hearing him say with each dog, “I wish we could take this one home.” It is knowing that for just a few moments of the day, the dogs get a playmate, some undivided attention.
The worst is knowing we can’t bring the dogs home. It is seeing that some of the same wonderful dogs remain week after week.
Initially I only committed us to going in once in a while as it fit with our schedule, but now we are committed to every Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours. With that comes the learning responsibility and commitment piece that I want my son to learn. He may not always want to go at first, but once he is there, he thoroughly enjoys his time.
Volunteering can take on many forms, from spending time with the elderly to hospital work to work in school and so much more. It can be a rewarding experience to do something you enjoy, either alone or with a child. Open up your mind, think of something you enjoy and seek out a place or a way to volunteer. This list from Compassionate Kids includes ideas to consider when thinking of volunteering with your child.
Find volunteer opportunities in the Midlands through the United Way of the Midlands, Points of Light, or VolunteerMatch.
Do you and your child volunteer? Would you encourage your child to volunteer? Would you support your child’s desire to volunteer?
