Why Teaching Kindness To Their Kids Matters
“It’s hard to explain to kids that it’s a blessing in life to be able to give to others.” These were the first words shared by Pet Wants co-owner/founder Michele Hobbs (with her wife Amanda Broughton) when she posted about her beautiful family participating in a group that gives to Cincinnati’s homeless.
Instead of just explaining, Michele and Amanda teach their beautiful young children the importance of generosity and kindness through action. On that day, at the invitation of Larry Bergman, they bought bulk food from the Restaurant Depot and delivered it to the Drop Inn Center aka The Shelterhouse.
“Giving my kids a happy childhood and life is my first priority, but not far from that priority is for them to understand just how fortunate we are. I do not want them to experience homelessness or poverty, but I want them to know it exists and that they have a responsibility to help others who are experiencing pain of any sort. They are beginning to see that helping others is one of their privileges. And Privilege is a theme I will remind them of as long as I’m alive,” Michele told me.
Having known Michele for many years, none of this surprises me. She is a woman of immense integrity, who has shown kindness to me in so many ways. She works tireless hours making their Pet Wants and soon their Knox Joseph Distillery and OTR Stillhouse, a huge success, affording them the opportunity for quality family time and for giving back to their community.
I wanted to know more about where this drive and passion comes from so I asked Michele to share her story, one you may not know about this Cincinnati change maker.
Early Lessons
By their 25th birthdays, Michele’s mom and dad were already parents to four children. Her father left when she was young, and their landlord tried to evict them…unsuccessfully, at first anyway. Then one night, Michele remembers her mom taking her and her little brother on a train from Morristown to the Cincinnati Terminal.
“I remember that train ride, it was dark and there were no lights in the box car. We were in the last car before the caboose. It had wooden benches. There were doors on the side just like you see in the movies and this is where all the poor people were. Mommy had packed us a sandwich in a brown bag. I remember getting my sandwich out and I saw this really old man in the very back. There were no rules about kids walking around this dirty old train car. I walked back and gave the old man my sandwich. I don’t know why.
I do not how my mom found my dad, but I do know we got our car and went back to Tennessee. I don’t know who had my other brother and sister, but I know the house had been packed and all of our stuff was in the front room when we got back. We were getting thrown out and were homeless. My mom somehow pulled it together. Daddy showed up with a Uhaul that very day (by this time our phone had been shut off, so I have no idea how she got him there). We packed up our car and that truck and I remember the landlord standing in the yard and clapping as we left. This is how I landed in Cincinnati.
It is my prayer that my kids will never experience that, nor how tough things would be for my dad for essentially the rest of his life. All he ever did was work…just to keep his family housed, fed and clothed,” Michele told me.
And THAT is why teaching her kids the important lesson that giving back is a privilege is a top priority.
“What will they do with their Privilege? That is a question that is with me every single day as I navigate this world and try to understand the why.
They talk about not wasting food because there are others who are hungry. They ask to go the the homeless camps, (which are now gone) and they don’t understand why I don’t give money to the guys on the corner, both of those concerns are difficult to explain, but I do my best.
Amanda and I are good parents, there are many parents I know who do much more with their kids as far as helping others, but I think we are doing good with them for now and we will continue to try and do more,” Michele said.
How YOU Can Help
Amanda and Michele are organizing a Valentine’s Day Food Drop at the Anna Louise Inn, and are looking for volunteers to help. If you’d like to participate, please email Michele at Michele@PetWantsCincy.com.
