Saturday, January 16, 2010

Helping Our Kids to Understand

One of our deepest desires for our family is that we would have a passion for the world. We want our children to understand the needs of others and to always be thinking beyond themselves and beyond our mostly comfortable borders.

This week gave us the opportunity to teach the boys about the country of Haiti and it's needs. We looked up together a map of Haiti and some "before" pictures. I printed off coloring pages of the Haitian flag, traditional clothing etc. so they could make a book. We listened to music sung in Creole and English. We practiced what the capital is, what languages they speak, and how many people live there.

And then we talked candidly about families being separated, people hurting and dying, buildings and homes being destroyed, and the lack of adequate food and water. I showed them a few pictures of the devastation and asked them how they felt about it. And we spent time discussing and praying for the needs of the Haitian people.

We made a few traditional Haitian dishes for our meal to again remind us of the suffering and sadness of that country. It was a good excercise for all of us. I learned a lot and I think the boys did, too. My greatest prayer is that they will be challenged to continue to pray for the people and that their eyes will be opened and their hearts filled with compassion for others.

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3 comments:

Kim said...

That's fantastic! I too think it is important to make our children aware of the world around us. I do not want them to be sheltered.

Jill said...

You are such an awesome mom! You have so many of the traits I admire in a person....your children are truly blessed Alaina!

Karen, Glenn, Allie, Max, and Sam said...

You are so amazing -- an amazing mother, and an amazing person. It's an honor to read your blogs and to know you IRL!