OK here is my idea of volunteering for your community, do what you can when you can and you do it to feel better inside not to get coodo's for it. I love helping out at the public library and the school library when I can, I help raise funds for the library and I work to help seniors and young children in need get books to read. I work diligently at teaching children the joys of being green, but not over the top. I help my children make the right choices in life, by letting them make the wrong one's too, and learning from it. Do I think I am perfect, no, by no means do I think I am perfect!
Look, I made a choice in my life to dedicate most of my charity work to the library, why, why not a church? well, let me tell you, I think libraries accept everyone, and churches don't. Libraries teach people to read, let people congregate, and speak to each other, let you interact with people who may not be like you. I love that!
Now with all children who enter my house, they soon learn that we do not use paper products here, except for tissues and Toilet paper, wait and feminine products. I just can't convert to reusable stuff on that end of my life. So anyway, we compost all fruit and vegetable waste, we have 3 compost piles going right now. we also have a garden, actually a few, perennial and annual vegetables and herds, as well as fruiting bushes and trees. Now that is being green.
The whole idea of raising a child to me has to do with teaching them right from wrong, and teaching them that doing good things is just part of what you do as a human being. Not about being recognized. It is about living a green life naturally, composting and picking food from your yard should be something everyone does. It doesn't take much to plant some strawberries, asparagus or herbs that come back every year.
Now, I have to admit that my daughter is not as well behaved as she could be, but that is mostly from frustration. She does well around people who are nice and who are nice to her. She usually has issues when she is around bratty children who will not compromise. She doesn't understand that. She also does not do well around bratty children who call her a cry baby, because that makes her cry. Otherwise, she is in the top of her class in reading, is remarkably funny, good natured and very loving girl.
My son, who I have been told plays too many video games, is a lanky 9.5 yr old with a lot of spunk. he is shy at times because he does not like aggressive children. Most of his friends are like him and when he gets around them he becomes very animated and fun loving! When his head is in a ds and he is walking around it is because the noise of everything is too overwhelming for him and it helps him cope. he has ADD and most people miss understand it as something else. being withdrawn etc. he is just a nerdy kid who likes one on one contact and does not do well around bullies.
