The Socially Conscious Child

I'm watching my three little blued eyed sweethearts at the breakfast table the other day listening to their Daddy explain why a free market is so great.  Alex gave up after she couldn't figure out why it was bad for the price of apples (in Rick's example) couldn't be determined by the government. Good ole Gabby was hanging on to every word trying to really figure it all out.  The little one was just wondering why there was all this apple talk and no actual apples at breakfast.  Our house is always filled with conversation and messages about what is happening in the world.  Makes me wonder if every child is growing up being so "aware".

I can still remember sitting at Starbucks having breakfast before getting ready to take our first trip to Disneyland with our then two kids.  We were trying to get Alex to pick her theme for her birthday party.  Here we were surrounded by princesses, pink galore, Disney extravaganza.  What does my little darling pick as her theme?  Save the World.  I can still remember looking at her, jaw dropped, quickly followed with a, " say what?".  She had heard us talk so much about how important it was to save the world with recycling, planting, etc.  So being in the happiest place on Earth wasn't going to change the fact she thought saving the World sounded like a pretty darn good theme.  And let me tell you that still stands out in my mind as one of our better parties. Plus just the fact she came up with it meant during one of my many rantings about recycling or turning off the precious water, she was actually listening.

Then take my Gabby who two weeks ago ran across some paper puzzles that once put together spelled out a great message about recycling. Well that gal gathered up all 10 of those extra puzzles, handed them out to her classmates sitting around before school, asked them all to put them together, and then asked her teacher if she could hang them up around school.  How proud I was to see one hanging up on the front office door.

Obviously I am a pretty passionate soul.  It doesn't take much to get me excited about a story, a great cause, you name it.  Seeing my little people jump up and take action fills my heart with such joy. Sure you can sit down and read about people doing great things or you can take action.  I hope that's the road my girls take.  I hope they care about what is going on in their world. That they pick up a paper and give two hoots about people on the other side of the world that are struggling.   I hope if they can give a dime or a dollar, they will and will appreciate how lucky they are to be able to do that.  But most of all, I just hope they are aware.  The people that live in their own magic bubble of happiness.  Well...more power to them.  I prefer to live being happy but firmly aware and socially conscious.