Raising Kids to Make the World a Better Place
As the world changes and we experience the impacts of continuous disruption in the economy, climate, geopolitics, culture and more, taking precautions to help safeguard our children and work towards creating a better world is critical.
An important part of that is raising kids with a charitable mindset. The basics still stand: We should help our kids explore the world and remain curious about it, encourage them to travel internationally and build a deeper sense of self in a diverse world. Of course, we should encourage them to build empathy by volunteering for organizations and giving back to their local communities.
However, there are also some unique pieces of guidance that not many parents or caregivers touch base on. Below are a few ways to approach inspiring kids to make the world a better place with the proper guidance and mindset.
Consider Your Child's Moral Convictions
Children can have deeply felt moral convictions, especially as they grow older and have more philosophical questions about the world. They may try a more eco-friendly vegan diet, become activists for a social cause they care about, or become passionate about issues. They may even explore religion or deconvert from a religion, or demand to know why the family doesn't give more money away to charity.
It's crucial to understand that sometimes these things aren't just phases, but it's best to patiently wait it out by their side. Suppose some parents see radical life changes and decide to persuade them out of being a certain way when there is no harm in being that way or assume they outgrow them. In that case, they will miss out on connecting with their child, who is trying to make sense of their moral priorities and personal identity in a confusing world.
Many parents worry that if their child is changing rapidly and adopting lots of new priorities, the child doesn't understand. And they might not stick with all their new ideas. But parents should nurture a relationship with their child, the person in front of them, not with some extrapolated future version of how they wish them to be. Instead, allowing them to explore the ethical options of this lifestyle is a great way to help children build more well-rounded identities and create more dedicated philanthropists in the future.
Let them Follow Their Philanthropic Interests
It's also essential to relate to children in a way that doesn't burden the children with holding them accountable for revolutionary change. Climate change activists, for example, shouldn't simply give up on their generation because they're frustrated with a society that has done so little about climate change. They shouldn't say the only hope is the children and put a huge burden on the shoulders of people who are just beginning to understand their priorities. For instance, someone in climate change shouldn't tell a child it's the end of the world but instead, inspire them to take action and fight for a fair way to enable them to study the issue so they can tackle it responsibly. As always, education is one of the key drivers we can support to help our kids make the world a better place.
Allow them to Question and Learn About the World
In a changing world, misinformation and various viewpoints on important issues often need clarification. Conflicting information or different views on an issue can be disorienting and ultimately disillusioning for many children. When situations are complex and presented to children without any consideration of those complexities, learning the whole picture later on may make kids lose confidence, even in the simple parts.
On the other hand, people often tell kids not to try because no organizations are to be trusted or no one in the government is trustworthy or cares to change anything. While it is vital for children to question the world, we must give them hope to examine it and then take action. However, we want to encourage our kids to keep going and a lot of what we say to them is about the messaging. Let them figure out what causes they care about and what actionable approaches work for them.
One way to do so is to support their line of questioning and even if the adults don't know the answer, they can encourage them to look elsewhere for the solution that is ultimately possible to answer. For example, adults can help their children research what people experiencing homelessness do with money and which international charities are the best ones to donate towards.
One of the most important transitions from childhood to adulthood is the transition between consuming advice, knowledge, and wisdom and being a creator of such things. It's incredibly empowering to tell a young person, "I don't know the answer. No one might know the answer, but let's try to figure it out." Knowledge isn't handed down from on high; it is learned and produced, and children deserve to see and be part of that learning process.