Generosity is such a fundamental value of Unitarian Universalism. We are called upon to share our talents, our time, our energy, and our financial resources for the good of each other, our community, and the hole wide world.
Learning to be generous starts in childhood. Children experience their very first lessons on generosity when the adults around them extend generosity to them. In other words, by being on the receiving end of generosity, children begin to learn why and how to be generous themselves. Here at UUCM, the treasured volunteers who spend some of their Sunday mornings up in Kids Connection with us are teaching our children about generosity. They generously share with our children their time and their energy, as well as their deep knowledge and many talents.
But the opportunities to learn about generosity in our Kids Connection program do not stop there. Almost every week, our children are challenged to embody the UU value for generosity. As they interact with each other and with some of the more desirable materials we have in the Kids Connection setting, invariably two of them will want to play with the same toy or tool. Those are the moments when a calm, caring, and attentive adult can help the children understand the feelings they are experiencing, at the same time that they learn to identify and use strategies for responding generously to each other, even when someone else wants to cut short their opportunities to play with the stethoscope or the toy hammer or a Buddha board. Other opportunities to learn about generosity occur when we (the adults) sit down with them to share snacks, when we model the use of kind and supportive words, or when we give our undivided attention to their thoughts and concerns.
Generosity—it is a UU way of being that is on display in our Kids Connection setting each Sunday. We welcome adults who would like to share their time, energy, and talents with our children on an occasional Sunday morning. Talk to Cheryl Spaulding or Lindsay Dunckel if you want to know more about how you might contribute to our Kids Connection program.