Between Christmas and New Year’s Day, when my partner and I had eaten our fill, our kids had received their wonderful gifts from Santa, and everyone had marveled at the beautiful lights shining from our homes’ decorations, we had the idea to show our older kids that life isn’t a fairy tale for those who aren’t as fortunate.
So we made a resolution to raise our children’s awareness of what’s happening to the less fortunate in our society. Because, anyway, we love good food too much to go on diets, and the gym doesn’t appeal to me after running after my kids all day—that’s just boring! We decided to pack some snacks, juice, warm socks, and toiletries (sanitary pads, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.), and we went out into the street to chat with these people who are much stronger than we realize. We handed out our little gifts. Yes, we could have simply taken them to the Maison du Père or another organization that tries to care for these people, but we wanted that personal connection with these men and women who need help.
I wanted my children to understand that this doesn’t just happen to other people, that anyone can find themselves in this situation, and that life can take a sudden turn when you least expect it! Seeing a woman with tears in her eyes because you gave her a box of sanitary pads and a small juice, talking with a man who just needs someone to listen to him to bring a little comfort to his day… At the end of my day, I wonder who I helped the most: them or me?
I can tell you that moments like these put things into perspective; our kids even asked us when we were going to go back and do “our rounds.” Our original intention was to get our kids thinking—to help them look beyond their own little worlds and see our society and its challenges in a different light—but in the end, without even realizing it, we started a new tradition filled with love and pride!