Time and time again, my neighbors and I ponder this question: In this age of overindulgence, how do we raise normal, well-adjusted kids? I think the answer is simple; we must involve our children in ways they can personally give back.

Prior to Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to listen to a group of fourth graders talk about the things they were grateful for. On the list were lots of material items like Gameboys, Gamecubes (and the like), Ipods, computers, and phones and televisions in their rooms. It was then that I realized the timing was right for my daughter to donate something she's been saving for a year, something very personal, her hair.

Last spring, one of my neighbors, Helen Weinstein, showed up at a picnic with a new stylish haircut, considerably shorter than before. For a year I'd been seeing her with hair growing longer and longer. That day, when she showed up with hair a good 12 inches shorter, she explained to me that she donated it to Locks of Love, an organization that collects hair to make wigs for cancer patients who have lost theirs. In fact, that was her plan all along. I was so moved, and so was my 9-year-old daughter, Stephanie. Right then and there my daughter pledged to do the same. After listening to the list of things most children were grateful for, I realized the time was right. Stephanie would now donate her hair too.

I searched the Internet for Locks of Love (www.locksoflove.org), and found a list of salons that participate. Cutting the hair must be done by someone who knows how to do it. Locks of Love has a minimum requirement of 10 inches. The stylist placed rubber bands in Stephanie's hair, and measured with a ruler. She set a rubber band at the 10 inch mark, and then cut one inch above that. So, after styling, Stephanie actually lost 11 to 12 inches that day. The bonus, the haircut was free; the salons contribution to this charitable process.

Stephanie was quite nervous going to school the next day, afraid of being teased by her peers. However, I'm pleased to report that she was greeted with lots of compliments and praise, an appropriate response for such a noble gesture. If you ask Stephanie how she feels about cutting her hair, she'll proudly tell you, "I was happy to do it. It was for charity."

So what am I thankful for this season, among other things, having a charitable daughter. Really, who could ask for anything more?

Renée Haber