This year I asked my husband and kids for a chicken… a live one for Mother’s Day. I don’t need another piece of jewelry or flowers that will die. I need to know that I am making a difference in the world and that I am modeling good values to my kids. So often parents try to get their children to be charitable around their birthdays (“Let’s give those extra gifts to children in need!” or “Let’s tell all your friends to make a donation instead of giving you a gift!”) but we conveniently forget to lead by example. So this year I decided to practice what I preach and asked to have a chicken sponsored on my behalf at Farm Sanctuary. We are a vegetarian family and talk to our kids about the suffering of animals quite frequently. I want them to see me model charitable behavior and for them to learn first hand what I think is really important to me.