I had first heard about the Crisis Nursery from my best friend Jen. She really is quite an amazing person, and she shared with me that she tries to volunteer there when she can find the extra time between a full time job, part-time school, and full time life. The stories that she has shared with me nearly broke my heart.
The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is committed to the prevention of child abuse and neglect and provides emergency intervention, respite care and support to families in crisis through:
- Short-term care for young children in a safe and nurturing environment
- Helping families resolve crisis
- Offering resources for empowerment, ongoing support and parent education.
- Community outreach and awareness
- Advocacy for children and families.
Since you all know by now that I have three very spirited, and precocious daughters you all know what kind of toys we must have at our house on any given day. In this age of gluttony and overwhelming need for toys by children, and the need to give presents by various family members and friends, you can only imagine what our very small, but quaint house must look like. You've seen the posts from months past, you know we've got "stuff," and it's coming out of our ears!
I've always wanted to set a good example for our daughters, an example that will resinate through the rest of their lives. I want to teach them that there will always be people with less, and that giving is the best way to show gratitude and appreciation for the life we have. We have enough, God do we have enough, plus I wanted to teach my daughters that to give to someone less fortunate is truly a blessing for the giver. Nothing makes you feel better about yourself then giving to another human being; whether that giving is your time, your energy, a gift, or giving a donation to your favorite cause. We could one day end up on the receiving end of charity, because like my mother has always told me, "When you wake up in the morning, you have no idea where you are going to lay your head at night." Be grateful, be humble, be compassionate, and be kinder than you feel.
Every three to four months at our house I do make it a habit to make the girls go thru their toys and put aside all the toys that they have not played with in over a month. That's the rule; newer toys can stay, but if they haven't played with it in a month, there's probably a very slim chance that they will play with that toy ever again. So we've been doing this for a while. This morning it took a little over an hour to sort thru and narrow down the stash of toys that we had accumulated over Christmas and various other toys that have fallen by the way side. We had three boxes and two bags full of donations to give.
Boxes and Bags full of previously loved goodies!
If you are interested in donating here is a wish list for the Crisis Nursery:
Your monetary donation to the Crisis Nursery is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. We greatly appreciate any dollar amount. | ||
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They always say that a picture is worth a thousand words. This was after we had cleaned up, and we were ready to leave. Now let me take a minute to explain this picture, and let me tell you how this morning went. Roo was good with all the toys that we donated, (we even had a celebratory dance party to commemorate the end of the sorting) until Mitch asked her about one toy in particular, and then the waterworks started! Roo loves to give, and someday would love to start her own charity, but she's also not yet seven, and some days is conflicted with her "need" for toys, and her "want" to give. This morning a particular stuffed dinosaur (featured above), which hadn't been touched in months, and was shoved in the space between her wall and her bed made it's way into the bag for donation. Remember the rule, you don't play with it in months it goes. Well, this opened a very big wound for her, given the fact that she'd had that dinosaur for at least three years. This became a serious area of contention between her and I. This is where the giving process can become a tough lesson to learn. Mitch is better with her than I am, he's a teacher, and knows how to deal with difficult behavior more than myself. She and I are both the oldest children, and we are so alike somedays its scary! He has a way of explaining things to her, and helps her understand that her actions today will help her be a better giver in the future. It's still a hard concept for her, but she's working on it.
She'll get there, even if there were tears today.
Soph on the other hand, gives away almost everything she has to anyone. She's an awesome sharer, and an awesome giver. I try not to compare our children to one another, but Soph has a very giving heart. She'd give you her last dime if she knew you needed it more than she did. She's that kind of kid. This behavior may change the older that she gets, it is possible, but for right now she's a good example for Roo. Maybe working together someday they can build their own charity! How seriously awesome would that be?!?!?!?
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| The Crisis Nursery is off of Gravois Road in St. Louis. |
So this is where the teachable moments for me really hits home. Roo was super ticked at me, and was blatantly honest when we had this conversation:
Roo: Mom, I'm mad at you!
Me: You are huh? Well Sug, that's okay for you to be mad at me. Be mad. I'm okay with that.
Roo: *sulking*
Me: You are going to help me take this stuff into the nursery. I want you to see
where it is going, and who this is going to help, do you understand?
Roo: *tears in her eyes shakes her head yes*
Me: Good, that's settled. You'll see Roo…I promise.
So we arrive, and I opened up the back of the Pilot, and I handed Roo and Sophie each one bag each of the stuffed animals, I took two of the three boxes, and Mitch stayed in the car with Claira. We rang the doorbell, and waited to be let in. As we waited I looked at Roo, and told her to wait and see what was inside. As we walked into the room, which is like a big open studio space, she got to see for the first time all the children that were there. The children that all of her toys were going to bring smiles to their faces. I left her and Soph in the building while I ran outside to grab the last box. When I went back inside the sweet lady who greeted us was telling the girls all about the children who stay at the Crisis Nursery. Roo's eyes were lit up like Christmas morning; in her mind she was like Santa Claus for all of those children who had less than she did. Soph, she just stood there and smiled from ear to ear!
I had told Roo before, that when a child leaves to go home they get to take one toy home with them, and sometimes that's the only toy that that child has. I told Roo that her beloved stuffed dinosaur was now going to be one of the toys lucky enough to go home with one of those children. How awesome was that to be able to give that child such a gift? So this story too has a happy ending. After we made it back out to the car, and got in, I turned to Roo and asked her if we were now on better terms? She smiled and told me that we were.
It's hard being a parent, and trying to instill charity and goodness into your children. Someday I hope she looks back on today, and remembers that her small contribution to the Crisis Nursery made another child's life just a little bit better. She might have not liked me for a couple of hours, but I'm here to be her parent not her friend, to grab ahold of these teaching moments, and let them change her attitude about giving back for the better.
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| The two imps in front of the Crisis Nursery |
Life is about all the little moments that we get to share with others.
Giving is such a wonderful gift that we give to ourselves, and to others.
I hope you get a chance to give to someone, for any reason you can think of, in the near future.
What a wonderful life lesson! It is great for her to see the impact of her giving!
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