{"id":6906,"date":"2016-06-16T06:16:23","date_gmt":"2016-06-16T12:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/?p=6906"},"modified":"2016-06-24T06:19:45","modified_gmt":"2016-06-24T12:19:45","slug":"a-way-for-kids-to-learn-what-the-right-choice-feels-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/2016\/06\/16\/a-way-for-kids-to-learn-what-the-right-choice-feels-like\/","title":{"rendered":"A Way for Kids to Learn What the Right Choice Feels Like"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DSC_0472\"<\/a> \u201cAlthough the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.\u201d<\/em> –Helen Keller<\/p>\n

The litter of kittens arrived at our house last Wednesday night just before midnight. It was a desperate situation\u2014I knew the minute I heard the emotional plea from the owner of the cat shelter where my daughters and I volunteer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe maintenance man at a nearby apartment building was going to kill them if no one came and got them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kill them \u2013<\/p>\n

Not call animal control or ask some of the apartment residents if they could help.<\/p>\n

Kill them.<\/p>\n

Just kill them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can detect empty threats, Rachel, and this is not one of them,\u201d the shelter owner continued. \u201cI know you did not sign up to foster cats, but I already have twenty in my house. I wanted\u00a0to see if you'd be willing to foster the kittens until they\u2019re old enough to be placed up for adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n

While I am usually a planner, thinking carefully through all decisions that impact our family, I answered immediately. \u201cYes, of course,\u201d I said without hesitation, praying my not-a-fan-of-cats husband would understand.<\/p>\n

Very late that night the five-week-old kittens arrived. My older daughter Natalie insisted on waiting by the door and helping me get them settled. It was only their second night without their mother who was very sick from outdoor elements, lack of nourishment, and an infectious tick bite.<\/p>\n

But the kittens did not cry. They relaxed when we held them. They purred loudly and nestled in for warmth.<\/p>\n

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The next morning I sent an explanatory text message (hopeful plea) to my husband who was out of town at the time of the kittens\u2019 arrival. I also added some adorable photos for extra reinforcement. (Couldn't hurt!)<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, my husband texted back: \u201cYou did the right thing.\u201d
\n<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a><\/p>\n

His words made me cry.<\/p>\n

He could have said, \u201cOkay,\u201d or \u201cI understand,\u201d but instead he chose these words: \u201cYou did the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funny thing was, I already knew this. My heart told me I did the right thing as soon as I held a precious kitten, a living creature whose life was almost snuffed out in a cruel and heartless way.<\/p>\n

\"DSC_0587\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You did the right thing. <\/em><\/p>\n

My husband\u2019s words stood in stark contrast to what the maintenance man had threatened\u2014to what seems to have become a choice for those who\u2019ve decided violence, abuse, condemnation, and hatred are the only way to share your beliefs, settle an argument, solve a problem, or express an opinion.<\/p>\n

Doing the right thing \u2026 the loving thing \u2026 the respectful thing \u2026 the compassionate thing \u2026 the compromising thing \u2026 the unifying thing feels like it\u2019s getting lost in our world.<\/p>\n

In the past week, I\u2019ve read a young lady\u2019s courageous and heartbreaking victim impact statement<\/a> as her attacker received a laughable sentence. I\u2019ve watched families mourn the senseless deaths of their loved ones in the deadliest mass shooting <\/a>in U.S. history. I\u2019ve read of a young, vibrant singer who was shot to death<\/a> while signing autographs. I learned of a small bunny being thrown against a wall<\/a> over and over by laughing teens. I am in disbelief. How is it that some people have such little regard for life? Why do some people think they can just do what they want or take what they want, with no remorse, no acceptance of responsibility, and no regard for the pain and anguish they cause?<\/p>\n

Just kill them<\/em><\/p>\n

Just hurt them <\/em><\/p>\n

Just throw them away <\/em><\/p>\n

Why are so many choosing the wrong thing \u2026 the selfish thing \u2026 the hateful thing \u2026 the divisive thing \u2026 the horrific thing … the destructive thing?<\/p>\n

I pondered these troubling thoughts as my children cared for kittens by night and attended Pet Companion Camp<\/em> at a local animal shelter by day. It was a weeklong summer camp I\u2019d signed them up for months ago knowing it would be a perfect fit for them. Little did I know it would correspond with a week of worldly despair.<\/p>\n

On the last day of camp, the parents were invited to tour the shelter and see what our children learned over the course of the week. As we walked by each cage in the dog rooms, my children relayed each dog\u2019s story. Sunni had been thrown from the back of a moving truck and now he has trouble trusting. Hank was abused by children. As a result, he\u2019s scared of them. Steve lost one of his hind legs; although no one knows how. He was found at a high-kill shelter in that condition. Now he scampers around joyfully, knowing no strangers. Steve is love. He is pure love.<\/p>\n

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\n\"Image<\/a> The director asked the children to share their favorite part of the camp. Many hands flew up. They mentioned the animals and the counselors, but one little girl raised her hand in reference to a kitten with a severely swollen eye and said, \u201cI am thankful someone found Isabelle and didn\u2019t say, \u201c'What a freak' and let her die.\u201d<\/p>\n

The children all nodded solemnly in agreement knowing that loving and caring for that grotesque-looking kitten was the right thing to do.<\/p>\n

I looked around that room of animal-loving children and my heart felt hope. These children had experienced first-hand the result of abuse and violence. They\u2019d learned reasons for approaching the creatures softly and gently. They\u2019d learned to read body language, which helped them know how to respond. They knew what to do when an animal cried. They experienced\u00a0the transformational power of love.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a><\/p>\n

Would this knowledge translate to responding appropriately to a human being\u2019s pain or suffering?<\/p>\n

I believe so.<\/p>\n

Would this knowledge translate to greater understanding and acceptance to someone with a physical deformity or a disability?<\/p>\n

I believe so.<\/p>\n

Would it translate to doing something entirely selfless, knowing that helping others just feels good?<\/p>\n

I believe so.<\/p>\n

Would it translate to choosing calm reasoning rather than violent reactions in times of stress and anger?<\/p>\n

I believe so.<\/p>\n

Here in this room was a group of children who witnessed the preciousness of life and knew how to respond appropriately \u2026 lovingly \u2026 respectful \u2026 dutifully in order to communicate, help, and heal.<\/p>\n

There was hope in this room; I could feel it. I prayed more hope would follow, and it did.<\/p>\n

Over the next few days, our home became a revolving door for children who wanted to see the kittens. I saw children who had never held a kitten be lovingly instructed by their parents. \u201cHold him close so he feels secure and not scared,\u201d they said. I watched as children looked into cats\u2019 eyes and responded to the sound of their cries and their purrs. One little boy took the money in his piggy bank ($79.99) and bought bags worth of toys for the new kittens. One of my older daughter's friends\u00a0came and spent six hours with the kittens while I worked and my children\u00a0were at camp. One young man hit a homerun for a kitten that had stolen his heart. He\u2019s offered to pay for her with his own money when she goes up for adoption.<\/p>\n

\"DSC_0550\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And then unexpectedly on Saturday night, two of the kittens fell gravely ill. I\u2019d left a neighbor\u2019s birthday party to check on them, only to find two of the kittens could not walk. Their front paws were completely limp. Not being one to stay calm when animals are suffering, I began to cry. My daughter Natalie was the voice of reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom, they are going to be okay,\u201d she said firmly. \u201cCall Kristy and tell her to come right away. I will hold them securely. They are very scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shelter owner came immediately, speculating the kittens had probably contracted what the mother cat had. She put the two most fragile cats in a carrier and the others in a separate one. As she walked out the door to the emergency vet, she turned and said, \u201cBe prepared. These two might not make it through the night, Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n

My daughter and I cried, and then we got to work preparing for them all to come back to their temporary home. We cleaned and disinfected every inch of the cage and all their bedding. We anxiously awaited their return. At 2am, we were still waiting. I finally convinced Natalie to go to bed. Like a worried mother, it was difficult for her to relax, but she finally did. The next day, we received miraculous news: all kittens had survived and there was a medication to help them overcome the bacterial infection passed on to them from their mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know this is more than you signed up to do,\u201d the shelter owner said later that day as I stood in the veterinarian\u2019s office learning how to administer the proper doses for each kitten based on their weight. Tiny syringes, several bottles of medication, baby food to line their tender tummies, and kittens that looked so closely alike caused\u00a0me to wonder if I could do this.<\/p>\n

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\nSeeing the worry on my face, Kristy said, \u201cI know it\u2019s a lot. You don\u2019t have to foster them, Rachel,\u201d she kindly offered. \u201cI can figure another way to care for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

My daughter Avery looked up at me with confidence, as if to say: We got this, Mom. You know what to do.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe love them,\u201d I said about the kittens. \u201cMy daughters and I are committed to caring for them until they are old enough for adoption. There are three of us; we can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, my heart was at peace, indicating that was the right thing to do.<\/p>\n

\"DSC_0510\"<\/a>
\n<\/a>That night at dinner Avery prayed specifically for the animal \u201cover production\u201d problem, for the kittens to heal and find homes, and for comfort for those hurting in the world.<\/p>\n

There was something there; I could feel it. And then, finally, this thought occurred to me:<\/p>\n

There are currently too many animals without homes in the world.<\/p>\n

There is currently a scarcity of love, compassion, and acceptance in the world.<\/p>\n

Maybe if we merged the two problems, we could create a solution.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just think: if every family committed to caring for, helping, or loving an unwanted animal, what might be cultivated in that family, in that home, in that community, in the world?<\/p>\n

There would be an entire generation of children who realized they had the ability to communicate \u2026 respond \u2026 understand \u2026 strengthen \u2026 and save with one single, but transformative, element: love.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

These children would eventually go out into the world as adults. It is likely they would meet conflict and opposition \u2026 they might want things they couldn\u2019t have \u2026 they would likely disagree and become frustrated, as we all do, but they wouldn\u2019t resort to hostile\u00a0and destructive\u00a0measures like<\/p>\n

Taking a life<\/p>\n

Abusing a life<\/p>\n

Disrespecting a life<\/p>\n

Condemning a life<\/p>\n

\u2026 Such choices would be unconscionable to them.<\/p>\n

Because caring for an animal teaches us how to be a better human.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day after day, their adult lives would be made up of one right choice after another:<\/p>\n

Choosing love \u2026 choosing kindness \u2026 choosing respect \u2026 choosing understanding \u2026 choosing compassion \u2026 choosing love once again, and then again and again.<\/p>\n

Funny thing is, there wouldn\u2019t be a need for anyone to say: You made the right choice. <\/em><\/p>\n

Because their hearts would already know it to be so.<\/p>\n

What a beautiful world it would be.<\/p>\n

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Dear friends of The Hands Free Revolution<\/a>, if you would like to do something to make the world a more loving, more stable, and more accepting\u00a0place, it starts with us. Here are some resources related to today\u2019s post to help you: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n