A Teachable Moment

Sometimes I just like feel-good stories and I’ve got one!

Yesterday a friend of mine was bragging to a co-worker about his daughters and I just happened to be walking by. My friend, John, was bragging about his daughters, aged five and seven. One of them had just celebrated her birthday and, as usual with kids, a party was thrown and her classmates were invited. Usually in situations like this, the guests bring a gift and the going rate for the value of the gift is generally accepted as $10. However, on this occasion, John and the girls’ mother did something a little different. Each guest was requested to bring a donation of not more than $5 to be given to the local animal shelter.

What a great idea! Ideas like that always make me wish I’d thought of it. I asked John for the picture he was showing off because all one has to do is look at the faces of his girls and you can see that eschewing gifts in favor of helping shelter animals provided a greater gift than anything wrapped in paper and tied up with a bow could have ever been. The picture, by the way, is being published in the local paper and that’s another gift: the gift of being recognized for doing something good.

Sasha and Sophia and their guests were all given a gift at that birthday party: the gift of knowing that even though they’re just kids, they can make a real difference. I take my hat off to John and to the girls’ mom for turning a children’s party into a teachable moment that will be remembered by all the kids and particularly by Sasha and Sophia. Everyone had fun, they all got to feel good about themselves and $67 was raised for the local shelter.

It’s the little things in life that are the most precious and lessons learned at such a young age stay with us throughout our lives.