Teaching My Kids Compassion and Respect

Be the change you want to see in the world.

This isn’t hard for me to choose, the change for me is compassion.

If I look at this concept on a larger scale, being able to make a big impact and a ripple of change, seems out of reach.  But in looking at the whole truth, it’s the small things that make the difference. In our home, we are raising two beautiful kids, and our goal is to teach them compassion and respect. Respect for people, respect for animals, respect for consumption and the environment. We can show them how to properly treat and show love to other people. We live in a world with so much hate, if everyone could practice love, it would make a difference. We teach them that animals are to be treated with love and compassion. We hunt for the sole purpose of feeding our family, not for the trophy. I am the one who will catch a spider in my home and release it outdoors. Will this make a difference? Maybe not in the big picture, but to that spider it will. (Plus if it’s sunny out, we don’t want the chance of rain ;)). We watch our water consumption and are grateful to have clean running, drinkable water; we all know there are places in this world which have less. We throw our trash in the garbage, we pick up litter when we come across it. We recycle what we can and use refillable water bottles to carry water with us. All year round, I purchase local vegetables from an amazing business in the valley: Patty’s Greenhouse – they grow all their own veggies, and deliver them to my doorstep! They also have homemade jams, pickles, bouquets of flowers and (happy) eggs. I love that I can save my egg cartons and hand them back the following week to reuse! Even though we have multiple options for fresh local produce, in the summer months we grow our own strawberries, fresh lettuce and herbs. It’s fun for kids to watch a garden grow, to teach them that homegrown, or local organic produce is the best way to feed our bodies.

I believe I am creating the change I want to see by showing and teaching our children how to respect the earth and create a better environment. Small steps to a better world, are the ones that count.

Written by: Krystle Rhea