Conscious Parenting: Abundance Story For Kids

Children are conditioned to believe that if they give something away, they will have less. Simple subtraction, right? This looks obvious in the material world, but not so in the world of the heart.

Today, children grow up in a belief system that accepts “lack”. They hear, “we don’t have enough money for that” or “that’s only for rich people”. But what about the world of abundance? How do we teach children about that?

In the world of heart, children can come to experience abundance by giving. Doesn’t add up does it? However, just as candles can be uesd to light other candles, the inner heart is like a light. When we give away our “light” of love, it multiplies.

Story: The Grape Heart and the Raisin Heart

Once upon a time there was a little boy your age. He was filled with a heart of love (although it couldn’t be seen with your eyes, it was there!) His heart of love was like a beautiful grape, sweet and full. But one day he felt a dilemma. His mother had made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, his favorite! Later, his friend came over to play and the boy began to worry that his cookies would have to be shared, so he hid them.

He did this because of his fear of lack. That evening, after his friend went home, he retrieved the cookies and ate them all up. His tummy was full, but his heart began to feel as if it were shrinking. In a dream that night he saw his beautiful grape heart wither and shrivel into a dried up raisin. Even though he had eaten more than enough, he didn’t really feel abundant. His “heart compass” told him so.

Children can come to experience abundance by giving from the heart

I told this story to the HappyHeart students (ages 3-6). I purposely left the story open-ended for discussion. I asked, “What kind of heart would you like to have, a raisin heart or a grape heart?” “Grape-heart!” they replied excitedly. Then together we discussed ways to “water” and grow our hearts. I was fascinated at the depth of understanding that these young children had. Try it at home.

The next day one of my students wanted to share his story. “Last night”, he said, “my mommy was crying. I wanted to give away some of my ‘heart’ to her, so I gave her a big hug. She said she felt better. And guess what? I felt better too!” Then he said with a big grin, “I think I watered my heart!!”

So, by giving our heart we make it bigger! That’s the world of the heart; that’s true abundance!

Sharon Goodman is a master teacher and founder of Happy Heart Day School where she practiced the art of Heart Education for over 35 years. You can read more of her articles at: http://www.happyheartsparenting.com

Article Source: Abundance Story For Kids

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