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I used to teach history and a part of it was on civic virtue and what makes a person a good citizen. Part of the state standard I had to teach included things like serving on a jury, paying taxes, obeying laws, and volunteering are all parts of rights/responsibilities of citizenship and civic virtue.

@cranberryapple: I'm glad to see your reply! You seem open minded and hopefully this thread provided some good concepts to share with your husband. There are so many different ways to serve the community around us, I'm sure you'll be able to find one that fits your personalities and outlook.

I think it's important for my kids to realize that not everyone is as lucky as them, and to help each other out - goes pretty much hand-in-hand with the kindness and empathy that I want to instill in him. I don't plan on going too nuts with it when he's little, but things like picking out some toys he doesn't play with anymore and explaining how they can help other kids is something I definitely plan on doing.

My parents have sponsored a child (now a young man) in Kenya since I was 7 or 8, and growing up it was quite a revelation for me to see how different his life was - although hypothetically I knew about 3rd world countries, it was much more real to me when we were receiving letters from him hoping to get rain so they would have food to eat, raving about the new cooking supplies the money we sent paid for, etc.

In this day and age volunteer work is very important to colleges and scholarships!

My DSS is applying right now and has been rejected for several scholarships due to zero volunteer experience. He was also told by the Army ROTC interviewer that his lack of volunteer work really pushed his application to the bottom of the pile.

Just something to think about - as I am sure 18 yrs from now it will still be just as important!

I agree that "volunteering" can be in many forms. I don't think I will be taking my daughter out to a Habitat for Humanity build or anything like that but I will teach her how to be a good citizen.

Little things like the girl scout, "Leave it better then how you found it" by picking up an extra piece of trash out of the park. Or volunteering to make cookies for a sick friend. Or as others have suggested donating gifts or goods.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Do you think maybe it's because Sweden has great social programs (funded through taxes) that people don't feel the need to do more? I would think the situation over there vs. US is pretty different.

@ElbieKay: I agree with you. I'm sure all of those things could be considered contributions to society.

This is not to say that all people feel this way, but people have to admit that volunteering makes you feel good and it's a way to pat yourself on the back for helping out those in need. Instilling altruism in my LO would be more important to me.

I enjoyed volunteering as a teen. I wasn't able to commit to the hours of a part time job, but volunteering 1-2 hrs on a weekly basis was doable. I continued even through the first year of my first real job. I did it until I didn't love doing it anymore. At this point in my life I just don't have the extra hours so we give through money rather than time. However I would like to demonstrate to my kids that giving is more than writing a check once a year.

Above all I just want my kids to be compassionate, caring individuals. I hope that giving is part of that.

@looch: I agree. People volunteering simply for the sake of checking the box will probably result in both them and the charity getting nothing out of the experience. I think people need to find something they can be passionate about.

I guess my problem is with the attitude of indifference that I see sometimes, the sort of "it's not my responsibility to do anything" outlook. If someone wants to make the world a better place and is still searching for their own way to do that, that's great! At least they are working towards finding their niche, their part of the solution.