A card from Fair Play by Eve Rodsky
Values & Good Deeds (Kids)
You know those families who you look up to because the kids have rock-solid values? This kind of Magic takes time and consistency. In other words, one visit to the soup kitchen does not a good kid make. If you want to be the family who feeds the homeless every Thanksgiving, start researching places to volunteer. If you want to make birthdays feel special without any semblance of materialism, start a tradition like a family hug on the time your child was born. (Unless it’s in the middle of the night—then wait until the morning.) Soon you’ll be the family who everyone else is talking about for the right reasons.
Holding this card means owning all three
Conception
You want your kids to have values
Planning
- Considering values to impart
- Researching allowance and consulting with “Cash & Bills” cardholder (spend, save, charity jars)
- Researching and scheduling family giving-back/community service opportunities
Execution
- Attending family giving-back/community service opportunities
- Modeling values
Suggested Minimum Standard of Care
Do your kids feel good about what they contribute to the community?
A starting point. You and your partner agree the real standard together, and the holder meets it without reminders.
Holding it well
- The holder owns all of it: noticing, planning and doing. No “just tell me what to do.”
- Agree the Minimum Standard of Care together, then let the holder meet it their way.
- Not working? Bring it to the weekly check-in and re-deal it. Don’t take it back mid-week.
Put this card on your table
Deal it, agree its standard, and see who holds what. Free.