As a person, I wish our world was much more compassionate towards all life around us. As a mother, I of course teach compassion to my children. Never, did I think there would be a time when it would be difficult. But I am struggling at times with my 3 1/2 year old son. For some reason, he is not very gentle with little insects.

Maybe you think insects are not a big deal. But for me, I don’t like to see this side in my son; That he wants to step on, or hurt someone so little. Why? Why would he want that?

I never let him, although it has happened when I’m not around. I always talk with him about how important it is to be extra nice when you are big, and how it is not easy to be little. There are times when I think he gets it.

How do other parents go about to teach their children to be gentle with all lives around us?

I always try to make my son connect with something familiar for himself, such as talking about families or friends. When he sees an ant, I tell him that the ant is looking for his mommy or his friend.

Last weekend, we went camping. Before we went to bed I took my son to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth. We found two bugs in the bathroom and to my surprise he looked at them and wished them a good night before we walked back to our campsite.

It made me hopeful and motivated to keep teaching him my values. It is so nice to hear my son speak with such a sweet heart.

After watching ABC’s 20/20 last Friday, I am more hopeful about the elephant’s future. I hope that maybe after seeing how elephants are abused and taken away from where they belong (with their families in the wild), and “trained” with torturous methods to be forced to make the most unnatural acts like walking on their front legs, riding a bicycle etc. that America will stop seeing elephants as some object that is here to entertain us. I hope people will stop being amused by circuses. To me, circuses disgust me. It seems so humiliating for the animals and I can’t believe that it is legal to keep wild, social and intelligent animals like the elephants in captivity.

I hope that America saw how much the elephants suffer and how much they deserve a better life. I hope parents will stop bringing their children to circuses and zoos to entertain their children. The only reason elephants are being murdered or sold to circuses and zoos is for the money.

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I think most parents that are raising their children to be compassionate, kind and caring people would use a gentle, caring and compassionate approach to their own children. I do. I am giving my children a life of how I wish the world was like. It is almost as if they live in a bubble, or as my husband says “my children are still living in a “Bob The Builder” world.” A world where everyone is loving, caring, nice and happy.

We all know the world is quite different from that picture. I am wondering how other parents are introducing “the real world” to their children. How do you burst the bubble? (more…)