By Patricia Gonzalez
“It all starts in the family,” we’ve been told. In a world that is becoming increasingly divided, now more than ever is the basic building block of society challenged to to make a difference. Why? Because all of culture begins in the home.
We read it in the papers, and see it on our social media feed every day. There is so much hate, so much division and so much violence. As women and mothers, it is difficult for us to watch others suffer from afar, and not do anything about it. And yet that is often the problem. The reality for some of today’s problems is that we are too far to hold a hand, offer an embrace, or even shelter. The most we can do is pray, and donate, and spread awareness on the issue within our own small networks.
However, beyond these actions, there is a very powerful way we as mothers can make a difference. We CAN prevent wars and end poverty. How, you ask?
By teaching our children to love others, through preaching and example. As early as 2 year old, babies begin to show signs of growing in sensitivity to the needs of others and are ripe for this kind of formation. Maita Rodriguez shares “my toddler is acutely aware when her baby sister is crying, hungry, or looking for comfort. When I don’t respond to her baby sister right away, she is quick to get my attention. And when she receives a treat or a gift, she immediately asks, ‘What about Ana?’ implying that her sister should receive something too.”
Our children are also observing and absorbing much of what we do and say more than we realize. Bettina Cruz confides “I catch my daughter imitating my expressions, gestures, and activities. She has more than once pretended to work on my laptop, attempted put on my make-up, and even “breastfed” her baby doll.” Wouldn’t it be great our children picked up helping others from us as well? While two years old is admittedly too young to encourage any form of volunteerism, we can continue to our part and involve our children as much as we can.
Our children can accompany us to charity outreach activities, help us with packing relief goods, and even just be present when we are soliciting for donations. We can encourage them to make friends outside of their usual social circles, exposing them to people who come from different countries or backgrounds. We can be conscious of the words we choose when talking about others, practicing kindness in our speech as much as our actions. After all, how can we teach our children “not to say anything, if they don’t have anything nice to say” if we don’t do this ourselves?
Motherhood is an incredible opportunity to do good, by the way we love and raise our children. Let’s embrace this gift and commit ourselves to making our world a better place, one person, one child at a time.
Patricia Gonzalez is MOMCENTER’s Editor. She has two adorable daughters–ages 1 and 2, and is married to a man who inspires her to be a better woman everyday.
Beyond her work as a writer, she also an entrepreneur and manages the PR, marketing, and social media of two of her own local clothing brands, @coralswimwearph and @pearlclothingph.
She is a woman on a mission, and believes that motherhood is not limiting, but empowering. Join her on her journey by following her on instagram at @patriciaogonzalez.
