Raising a Boy to Be a ManSample

Raising a Boy Who Serves Others

Growing up in New York, we could always count on at least one major blizzard to close down the city. For those who live in warmer climates, that meant at least 12 inches of snow on the ground.

For most, a blizzard was a major annoyance. But if you had a strong back and shovel, a blizzard could also mean good money. People would easily pay $100 or more for you to clear out their sidewalk and driveway. If a kid was fast, he could make more money the morning after a blizzard than he could by working all summer.

You would think as a father, I would have encouraged my son to wake up early and work the block, but there were plenty of opportunities to teach my son about the benefits of capitalism. What he really needed was to learn the joy of serving others. So, after the blizzard, I’d go outside to shovel my driveway and my neighbor’s driveway (for free). I would simultaneously send him and his sister across the street to clear out the snow from the cars there. Any snow they managed to drag back to our house would be used to build massive snow forts, igloos, snowmen, and sledding hills.

Afterward, all their friends would come over for the most epic of snowball fights.

It’s easy to get caught up in training our kids to get paid.

·Make your bed, earn a quarter.

·Wash the dishes, earn a dollar.

·Mow the lawn, get a 20.

If we’re not careful, they learn to only help others when there’s something in it for them.

We never paid our son for being helpful or allowed him to accept money from others for regular acts of kindness. We shovel snow for our neighbors because they’re our neighbors. We help around the house because it’s our house. From cooking dinner and doing the dishes to setting up bagels at church, serving others is just what we do.

There’s a time for earning money, but only after a servant’s heart has been firmly established.

Have you developed a habit of paying for kindness? What kind of free service does your son witness you do for your neighbors?