Lending a helping hand

Twice this past week I had the proud experience of catching my children lending a helping hand. 

I had my eldest with me in a thrift store looking for stuffing for one of his sewing projects. There was a woman near us who was stocking the shelves, and she dropped a package of cutlery on the floor, but her arms were too full to bend down for it. She didn't seem too concerned, clearly willing to wait until her hands were empty, but Ethan dashed over to get the cutlery for her. She thanked him a little too extravagantly and told him what a helpful young man he was, all of which was a bit embarrassing for an eight-year-old boy.

The next day, I was taking my middle son to basketball, and we stopped to get some things at the supermarket. A man in the meat department was taking packages of pork chops from a cart and putting them in the cooler. Before I even quite knew what Marlon was doing, he went right over to the cart and started helping to shelve the meat. The man was quite amused, offered Marlon a job, and pretended to be dismayed that he wasn't old enough to work.

Now, I know all too well that my children are not always this willing to help, but it was gratifying to see them lend a hand when they saw the opportunity. It renewed my hope that some of what we try to teach them might actually be making a difference.