Happy Universal Children's Day

Happy Universal Children's Day. This morning, my oldest foster sister's first baby was born. Those of you who know me personally might know that I grew up with no less than 16 sisters. My mother ran a home in Kathmandu Nepal for girls. In #Nepal, back at that time, and to this day - girls were often thrown away by their families. Especially by families where the first child was a girl, then the second, then the third.

For some families, these 'only-girl-bearing' mothers would also be kicked out of the house. And for some of those young women who had nowhere to go and could not get re-married due to the fact that they had daughters, they would tell their daughters "When you get to the home, tell them I'm dead, tell them your mother is dead." This horror story is reality for many children in many different countries around the world.

Happy Universal Children's Day - each child is precious. Whether they are privileged, or disenfranchised.

As the director of an experiential education org, the reality is that I spend most of my time working with incredibly privileged children and young adults.

But they grow up fast, so before they do, let's show them how to reach out to those in need. Let's teach them about service learning, about the joys of helping others, let's teach them empathy, let's teach them resilience and let us teach them to care for other children when they become adults.