This is an idea I've been mulling over lately. Wouldn't it be great to host a charity birthday party for my kids? My children don't need charity, but there are lots of other kids who do. I would plan to first, choose a charity. Ideally I would short list a few local children's charities, and then let the birthday girl make the final decision. Then I would contact the charity and find out what it is that they need.
The birthday invitations would mention that no gifts for my child are necessary, but we will be donating to Charity X, so please bring X, X, or X in lieu of a gift.
I always host big birthday parties for my girls. It's alot of work, but I know it must make them feel special and I enjoy doing it. I would invite the same number of friends and family and still make it a fun party for my birthday girl. The only difference being, no gifts will be opened.
In the days after the party, I would want my girls to come with me to take everything that was donated at the party, to the charity of choice. I would encourage my girls to learn about the children that will be helped because of their donation.
This is a wonderful idea and could be done in biological families as well, not just adoptive families, but there's something special about doing this as an adoptive family. It's easy sometimes to focus on our own problems. Often the problems grow bigger when we focus on them too much. A Charity Birthday and subsequent donation may remind a child who is adopted that there are children out in the world with all kinds of different needs. If it's bothering them, that they are adopted, and they are different, getting involved with a charity reminds them that their life isn't so bad. There are people out there with much bigger problems, and that is a healthy perspective to maintain. There's always something to be grateful for.
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