Friday 13 September 2013

Am I being selfish wanting to Volunteer?

I've always wanted to volunteer. We have all thought about how nice it would be to 'give back to the community', right? Well I felt like the time had come and put my name down for a program and it felt good. There was a bit of a wait until my interview, great, I'm looking at doing something, but there is nothing set in concrete - I am getting there ...

This week I had the phone call and a spot had come up, they would like to meet with me & get the ball rolling. So, today Miss two and I went along (Miss two was very well behaved throughout the 2 hour interview!) and I thought it all sounded pretty wonderful ... I'm ready, yep, I am ready to give back, aren't I??

One of the questions was "What makes you want to be in the program?", my answer was honest and is a combination of a few things that made me feel like it would be something I and someone else could benefit from; the program is Big Sister, Little Sister. 

I live in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, which has a high percentage of low socio-demographic families. This doesn't always mean that children are uncared for or unloved, but occasionally there is a gap missing in a child's life that needs a good metor or role model. My family and I have pretty stable, fortunate lives, my husband and I have good jobs, my little girl is happy and we hope to help Miss Two achieve her goals & get every opportunity this world has to offer. We have a well supported family network and have a good routine happening, we are busy, but happy.

So, my question is, am I being selfish mentoring a 'Little Sister' & giving up my family time? I work four days a week, so family time can be somewhat precious. The commitment is 3 times a month for a minimum of 1 hour per visit - my family can be involved, but obviously it wouldn't be always and my time would be concentrated on my 'Little Sister'.

I see so many positives; my Miss Two growing up with the knowledge of 'giving', I, as in ME can make a difference to a  person's life, it's just juggling my 'time' there is nothing to lose financially & it's something I have wanted to do for such a long time.

So why is there this little niggling feeling of, will it be all too much? can I do this? Am I being selfish to my family? ... and if it doesn't work out, which is the biggest one of all, how would my Little Sister feel ... 

I need to make a decision, fast. The ball is rolling, police checks are happening, second interviews and tests will be booked in shortly. It's so hard when your heart says one thing, but your head says another. A weekend of serious thinking ahead.

No comments:

Post a Comment