the cake raffle

I have said before that I think it's important that my kids see me volunteer and be active with causes that are meaningful to me. They have tagged along to various volunteering projects that Mike and I have taken on and we talk a lot about what kinds of things we do when we're away from home at meetings and work bees and the like. I have often wondered when they would take over the reins and really start being involved on their own and not just tagging along because they had to.

Last week the school was holding a Mother's Day cake raffle. Parents were asked to donate cakes and the kids could buy raffle tickets in the hopes of winning one. Usually a donate a cake... I know, you're all shocked, but I have been trying to strike some sort of a balance. Right now I'm in the midst of wrapping up preparations for the silent auction, organizing and motivating my Relay for Life team and in the planning stages of another big fundraiser at which I will help organize a fundraiser for the school... that's two fundraisers in one right there! So I had almost talked myself into not donating a cake when Abby came to me....

Abby: Mom, I don't want to buy raffle tickets for the cake raffle.
Me: Oh, why not?
Abby: Because the money should be going towards something.
Me: What do you mean?
Abby: Well we just collected money for the tsunami. The money from the raffle should be going to something. It's not, so I'm not buying a ticket.
Me: But the money is going into the school fund.
Abby: But it should go to something like the tsunami. So I won't buy a ticket.
Me: Okay, if that's how you feel I won't bake a cake for it either.

See how I did that... supported her, but allowed myself to do what I really kind of wanted to do anyway without feeling guilty.

Here's the deal though, the paying it forward/volunteering Mom in me was immensely proud of her. She had an opinion about something and decided to take a stand against it. I'm sure a lot of kids would be all..... wow cake! Who cares where the money goes as long as I get cake in my belly. Of course around here cake is not a hard commodity to come by... probably made it easier for her to take her stand. I kid, but gosh I am so proud of that kid. True to her word, she did not buy a single raffle ticket.