What can I do to make my kids more aware?

[Helpmyhair2019]

Hi I have two kids aged 9 and 12 (boys) who generally are polite and respectful (by no means perfect!!). My 12 year old is starting to become very complacent about money and life and how lucky he is. It has become more apparent this Christmas. They are not spoilt but just don’t seem to realise how lucky they are compared to some children.

I don’t want to make them miserable or guilty but I do want them to realise not everyone is white, privileged and comfortably off! We talk to them about it all the time but I was wondering if there is anything more practical we could do? I just want them to spend a bit more time thinking of other people and being aware and respectful, especially at this time of year.

Does anyone have any practical ideas? Thank you!

We've done a Christmas hamper for a local family in need through a charity this year. Did it as a reverse Advent calendar so out something in a box everyday. With this particular charity you deliver it to the recipients door step so we took our 3 kids. It was an eye opener for them as it was in an area of town where they wouldn't really go, outside of their bubble and whilst they are still quite young I hope it makes them realise how lucky they are.

What kind of schools do they go to? Surely not all your 12 yo's friends or classmates are white and well off?

Hamper sounds a great idea!
No not all his school are white and well off. We are white and not ‘well off’ but not struggling. But it’s a very rural area with not much diversity. As much as we can talk about things with them (neither myself or my husband grew up in an area like this) I just don’t want them to ‘forget’ that not everyone as lucky. I don’t for one minute think we are better than others. I just know there are an awful lot of people who aren’t as luck as we are. There are an awful lot of people who are more lucky as well! If it makes a difference the 12 year old has Aspergers so is not always as socially aware as other 12 year olds

There was a post on a food bank thread earlier, but a lady who had volunteered at a food bank with her DC, could you look into that?

@TwigTheWonderKid
My kids primary school is in a small village which is one of the highest price areas in the county. There are no council houses or big standard semi-detached. It’s all big detached houses or little cottages. The catchment care does encompass a couple of other villages but even still when my eldest started there 8-9 years ago there wasn’t a single non-white family. Since then there are probably still only less than 10 kids in a school of 200 and even then those kids parents are doctors etc.
I would say we are one of the poorest families because we rent, don’t go skiing and then several holidays abroad each year, but actually our family income is above the average. In some places it’s quite easy to. It have many non-white children, poor children is harder to quantify as not so obvious. Not everyone lives in a diverse area in a city

Watch dispatches growing up poor, it’s a real eye opener. I grew up like that until i was 5 when I was adopted and it was still an eye opener for me! Worth getting the kids to watch.

@brieandchill sounds a similar area to ours. We are probably one of the ‘poorest’ families in the area but I terms of what poor really means we are hugely lucky and I don’t for one moment not appreciate it. My children don’t really get to see any diversity and this is not because we don’t want them to or don’t make them aware of other people. They just don’t experience anything different on a day to day level.

The dispatches programme is a great idea as is actually going to a food bank to help. The school does a lot to help the local food bank but I want my children to do more than take in food from the nearer supermarket (Waitrose!) to help.

As in be more aware of the reality of people needing food. They will continue to take in food for the food bank. I don’t take safety, warmth, food and housing for granted and I don’t want them to either