The #1 Way to Raise “Successful” Children

We want to recognize a few kids who have given a great gift to their moms and to other women—NBCF’s young fundraisers. They have joined us in Helping Women Now. We appreciate their financial support, but even more than the monies raised, we appreciate their enthusiasm, at young ages, to use their talents and resources to help others. We are honored that they have chosen to support our mission. We think their moms (and dads) are doing a great job instilling the value of philanthropy in them!

Most of the moms we know are proud of their children, but we also know many feel a certain amount of pressure to raise kids who are “successful”.   Social media provides a seemingly endless stream of competitions for the modern mom to feel her child has been thrown into: strongest athlete/scholar/musician, earliest child to hit developmental milestones, best-dressed child (with bonus points for multiple well-dressed children in color-coordinated outfits), and the list goes on and on. These aren’t bad things, but many are both subjective and elusive. Despite best efforts, not every kid can be valedictorian, captain of the football team, or lead soloist in the choir. Constant emphasis on these types of “success” can prove frustrating to both the child and the parent—a mistake that parenting author Tim Elmore calls “praising the wrong things”. So, what should we value most? Here at NBCF, we measure our success in how we help those in need.

With the right encouragement, most kids can succeed at being kind, generous and helping others. Just as the most talented athletes and musicians began developing their skills at early ages, it’s never too early to practice philanthropy. Parents Magazine has put together a great list of 9 ways to teach your child about charity. One great way to promote generosity in your home is to create a family fundraiser or encourage your children to create their own. Teenage sisters Paige and Madison Mougey used their love of tennis to organize “Serve for a Cause”, a Junior Tennis Tournament, in honor of their mother who’d been diagnosed with the disease. They raised $2,692 for NBCF!

Sisters Emma and Gressa New, just nine and eleven years old, leveraged their entrepreneurial skills to create “Clean up for Cancer”, selling handmade soaps at agricultural competitions to benefit NBCF.

The girls’ hockey teams at Berkshire High School and Westminster High School squared off against one another on the field, but they were united in their commitment to raise funds for NBCF in their “Play 4 the Cure” hockey game.

And we are blown away that young Elaina would use her birthday party, for the sixth consecutive year, to drum up funds for NBCF!

These are just a handful of the many generous kids who’ve chosen to start a fundraiser for us. If you or your children want to join us in helping women affected by breast cancer, please contact our fundraising department to get started. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms we support and to the moms raising generous kids like these!