Honor means treating people as special, doing more than what’s expected, and having a good attitude. We work hard to develop honor in family life and are continually looking for new ways to teach it.
One helpful way to teach honor is to be generous as a family. Generosity opens our hearts as well as the hearts of the people who receive from us. Giving doesn’t just focus on money. In fact, money is one of the easier things to give. A harder gift is that of time, attention, loyalty or commitment to others.
Giving can be exciting. Planning the surprise, delivering it, watching the person’s response and enjoying the personal satisfaction of giving all add joy to family life. When a family works together to be generous, something happens in the members who participate. They feel a sense of teamwork. They enjoy the satisfaction of giving, not just individually, but the good sense of family pride.
Giving is fun and doing it in secret can make it even more exciting. Be on the lookout for honor opportunities for your family. Sometimes families will plan an anonymous gift. Hannah, age thirteen, reported that she overheard Mrs. Robertson talk about losing all her encyclopedias when her basement flooded. Knowing that the Robertson family didn’t have a lot of money, Hannah’s family decided to replace them.
They went to several libraries asking for a used set. They paid a small price for a set that was newer than the one Mrs. Robertson had lost. They decided to give the set anonymously, which meant more planning and careful strategy.
Seeing a need and meeting it through an anonymous gift became a meaningful experience for Hannah’s family. In fact, Hannah herself saw that her own observation contributed to the family’s decision.
This parenting tip is taken from the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller.
