“She’s generous with her smiles,” a friend of mine commented recently, describing a new acquaintance. Her small observation stuck with me. That night, I turned the question on myself, wondering: am I a person who is generous with my smiles?

Cultivating a spirit of philanthropy in our children requires more than simply teaching them how to give money or service. True philanthropy is larger than that — it’s equally about teaching our children how to give of themselves. Think about the small interactions that fill your day: the barista at Starbucks, the intern at work, the parents waiting with you at the ballet studio. Consider those exchanges, however trivial, to be little philanthropic opportunities to model kindness, patience, and authenticity for your children.
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Making family dinner should be our priority for raising healthy children and adolescents. We know this. After all, researchers have been studying the impact of family dinner on child/adolescent development since the 80s. We get it.

However, despite the articles we’ve all read championing family dinner as a roadmap to building strong families and successful children — we’re still not doing it. Amid balancing every family member’s schedule, having a family dinner at home doesn’t always make the to-do list. We are missing one of our greatest chances to connect.
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