I remember sitting at my desk at my first job out of college, working as a volunteer coordinator for a local non-profit agency, and laughing with my colleagues after what I thought was the most ridiculous phone call.

A young mother called me, seeking an ongoing volunteer opportunity for herself and her one year old daughter.  She wanted to start early teaching her about the importance of giving back to the community and was seeking suggestions for agencies that would welcome infant-aged volunteers.

To me, as a twenty-two year old who was light years from having any desire to have a baby, this seemed like the most preposterous idea.  What could a one year old learn from volunteering?  What could a one year old even do that could be considered volunteering?


Wait mom, you want me to do what?!

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Little did I know that this would be the first of many phone calls of its kind. Together with my department, we brainstormed various suggestions that might be appropriate for a mom to do with small children – visiting the elderly, delivering meals to the less-fortunate, organizing a collection drive. Whenever a mom and child duo would call with this request, I would offer these suggestions and wish her luck, silently laughing at the idea of what I deemed in my mind to be a waste of time for the mom who already had her hands full with a child at home.

Now as a mother to a baby who is creeping up on his first birthday, I understand where these moms were coming from.

Of course, looking back through the lens of motherhood, I’m sure the caller knew that her baby girl would not be doing much, if any, of the work. Getting there on time would be stressful, especially when dealing with evolving nap schedules, diaper explosions, messy meals and other toddler-inspired challenges. More than likely, whatever the project was would be much more difficult to accomplish while balancing the needs of a one year old with the task at hand.

But what she did know is that small children pick up on their surroundings.  Exposing them to a wide variety of people, whether it is elderly adults, individuals with disabilities, or those facing poverty, can only help when facing challenges like stranger anxiety.

While infants and toddlers will not have explicit memories of being a part of a specific volunteer experience at age one, two or even three or four, it is in their implicit memory where these activities make a difference. Just as most of us don’t remember learning to tie our shoes or how to pedal on a bike, the skills remain.  Similarly, we don’t have one concrete memory that proves to us that our parents loved us; we have a general implicit sense of being loved based on our implicit memories of our childhoods. This concept can be translated to teaching children values like the importance of helping others and being charitable. By including children in volunteerism on a regular basis from an early age, we lodge the importance of giving deep in their implicit memory.

As a stay-at-home mom, I can also identify with the desire to volunteer with a small child.  It is easy for days to blend into each other, with play dates, errands, nap time and outings day in and day out.  Finding an outside-the-box activity to do with your baby can be not only meaningful but fun as well.

Delivering holiday food packages with a seven month old strapped on to my body in an Ergo while I schlepped into questionable neighborhoods wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.  However, seeing the grateful look on the recipient’s face made it all worthwhile, especially when Little C’s ear-to-ear grin brought a smile to a face that doesn’t smile nearly as easily or as often.

Similarly, visiting the elderly at a nursing home isn’t for everyone. As someone who isn’t 100% comfortable there myself, I pushed myself outside my comfort zone, knowing that not only will it help ensure that my little guy is comfortable with senior citizens, but old people love babies, and many of them living in facilities don’t have many visitors of any age.  Just a friendly hello and a brief chat can make a huge difference.

Even performing small acts of kindness can make someone’s day brighter, and making a habit of it is something I have tried to do to model the act of giving for my son. We participated in the “26 Acts of Kindness” movement that Ann Curry began after the Sandy Hook shooting, and I know Little C won’t remember any of them specifically, whether is was cleaning up litter in our neighborhood, delivering a hot meal to a new mother of twins, or collecting hundreds of baby items to give to a local shelter for pregnant and parenting teens.  But as we continue these acts of kindness, continue and expand our volunteer efforts and live generously, I hope to impart a giving spirit in him.


Little C checking out all of the donations we collected a local shelter for teen moms

Over half a decade later, I have come to realize that the woman who called me many years ago that I thought was crazy was really quite wise.  I only wish I knew it then so I could have better helped her to succeed.

Have you ever volunteered with your little one?