The New York Times sees children helping and asks when should volunteering and community service begin.
David M. Herszenhorn writes (excerpt):
Marvin W. Berkowitz, a developmental psychologist and professor of character education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, recommends that parents first expose their children to volunteering when they are still in diapers by bringing them along while parents perform community service. “Get them involved before they even understand it, so they grow up with it, it will be a normal part of the household, like mommy or the air we breathe,” Dr. Berkowitz said. “It’s just there, it’s what we do.
One of the interesting developments to me in our society is that many organizations and schools now ‘require’ volunteer hours … and that seems to be contrary to the concept of volunteerism. I have to agree, that demonstrating to children that helping others is just what you do, not because you need hours, but because you can, is a significant life lesson.