Couple wants to inspire nephew to be charitable
You can inspire a message of love, generosity and charity.
Five-year-olds are fascinated by friendship and kinship. How can your nephew be a good friend? He can share, take turns and demonstrate kindness and empathy. These pro-social attitudes are linked to being charitable, and you should foster and encourage him in this regard.
This Christmas season help him to find a toy and take it to your local Toys for Tots collection bin. Let him put it inside the bin, and talk to him about how excited the child who receives it will be. Have him pick out some cat and dog food to take to your local shelter, so the animals will have good food to eat.
Stop at the Salvation Army's collection kettle. Give him some money and let him put it in the kettle. Then you do the same.
Help him to make tree ornaments to give to his parents and grandparents. Let him help you make banana bread to take to a neighbors' house.
These simple acts are all ways to demonstrate your values without being too heavy handed.
Dear Amy: I recently gained a follower on social media who seems to have a serious eating disorder and issues with body image/self-hatred.
I started to type a message urging that they reach out for help, but then I worried that this might scare them off, so I've just started sharing a lot of body positivity posts, in hopes that might provide a good example. Is there anything else I can do?
-- Concerned
Dear Concerned: Social media is a great tool for connecting, but reading a "distress call" from a stranger can be upsetting and stressful. It is important for you to understand that -- while it is kind and compassionate for you to be concerned -- you should not get overly involved with someone who is curating their own story in ways you may not realize.
...continued
