The goal of family life should be endeavors to educate selfless children. There are certain rules of cultivating selflessness it is mostly connected with the income of a family and that income is food. Isn’t it? To eat means first one should earn. And at the time of meal if not to feed others and distribute food to others as a charity means family is living selfish life, because of that children also will grow selfish. If you sat to eat then you have to offer food if possible to others also, at least do it when it is possible. One can feed birds or to call for food friends of a child. One should try to do that as often as possible. For example, if there are aged neighbors then one can feed them. They do not need more. How much happiness you will feel after that you even cannot imagine! If we cultivate such like principles then kids will grow selfless. And that is enough to cultivate this principle at the time of meal. This means that the essence of working is to earn for food mostly, and if we nicely observe food shows the wealth of the family because of that sharing food is the culmination of our work. In Vedic society it was must to feed someone before one sits for meal. If family person does not feed others then children will grow uneducated and they will become bad kids. Because of that child should know before he sits for meal first should sit father. He should see that father also before sitting for meal feed someone. Then mother, she never eats before father, she firstly feeds all others. If child sees this principle child will in himself desire to give but not to receive.

If child was given a gift, if he takes that and does not share it with others then that child is considered as a bad person. This means they stop to talk with him. Moment to moment. This is correct attitude. If child took a gift and did not share that with others than he is the lowest person among everyone. If he does so then parents will get many problems in their life. What do parents need from their children? It is that in the future children take care of parents.

They will be compassionate for you. Out of compassion they will even listen to you. For example, there are no good relationships among senior kids. For example, mother wants to advice something. If she already cultivated principle of selflessness then kids will be obedient and change their lives. In this way mother can impact the lives of even grown up kids. If the principle of selflessness was not cultivated then children will consider their mother as a strange person. In this simple, no one will listen to her. Furthermore she won’t even get a piece of bread for her children. And while remembering how much she did for her child she will suffer so much. This is the behavior of children brings great suffering. And that great suffering happens when parents cultivated greed in the family but not desire to give, serve to the society and God.

There is another understanding of this point. For example, in Vedic homes food always firstly offered to God. Kids offer food to God, offer prayers which means food should be eaten firstly by God. Also food is distributed to saintly persons. In the village that food is also offered to cows. Cow is considered as mother. According to Vedic tradition there are 7 mothers and 5 fathers.  And all of these individuals should be treated exactly like their parents. There is no chance to feed other always but there is chance to feed God always. Food offered to God becomes sacred and Vedas say that that will remove all sins. It is better to offer food always to God before then offer that sanctified food to others.

 This text was translated from Russian book written by Devotee psychologist.