LifeVestInside

Kindness is a lovely quality to have in all walks of life. This extends beyond showing kindness to people. Kindness to animals is equally important and a value that can and should be instilled in children. Showing kindness to animals will earn children the respect, love and trust of an animal which can be nurtured for years to come.

Check out these 10 ways to show kindness to animals.

Tip 1: Go Out in the Wild
Showing children where animals actually live, not a zoo, will give them a sense of responsibility and understanding of how to behave around certain animals. Observing squirrels in a park will teach so much about keeping a suitable distance and not making sudden movements to scare the animal.

Tip 2: Read and Share
It is not always possible to see animals in the wild, but reading books to learn and understand is a pretty good substitute. Choosing a broad range of books will help children to look beyond a simple habitat and diet system. How animals socialize in groups can be a fascinating read.

Tip 3: Animal Shelters
Helping children to understand what can go wrong for animals is a good way to instill kindness. Sharing how some animals are badly treated can be a real eye-opener and is a real-world example of cruelty that is not necessary. Be prepared to talk about what they see.

Tip 4: Become an Owner
What better way to learn about being kind than to actually own an animal? Choosing a pet carefully is the key here as the point is that your child looks after them and builds a bond with them. Give your child specific responsibilities such as providing clean drinking water or feeding time in the morning. This gives them a purpose in the animal’s life.

Tip 5: Environment
It is not just direct kindness that children need to be aware of. Their actions on a larger scale also show kindness to animals. Not littering and disposing of rubbish correctly also show kindness towards animals, especially those in the wild.

Tip 6: Green Fingers
Creating a garden that encourages wildlife to visit is a great way to show kindness towards animals. Creating this together as a family adds value to the process and shows that you are part of the kindness drive too. For example, choose flowers that encourage bees or provide bird-friendly trees to encourage nesting. These simple steps display immense kindness to a huge number of animals.

Tip 7: Get Baking
This idea is based on a traditional cake sale but with an animal twist. Reading about and then creating animal-friendly treats is a lovely gesture in the neighborhood. Yes, you could sell these; but donating them to your local shelter is far more rewarding and so much kinder, too.

Tip 8: Toys
This is a very similar idea to Tip 7 but is more practical. Instead of baking treats, you would be making toys for pets. Research suitable ideas and then get your creative side working. Again, these could be sold or donated to a local animal charity. The choice is yours, but kindness should be your goal.

Tip 9: Spot Kind People
This one takes the focus away from the animal and directs it more onto the person being kind. A lovely gesture would be a simple thank you to someone who is being kind towards animals. Often, people are kind because it is the right thing to do, and they don’t seek recognition for it. A simple thank you is all they want, and you can be the person to deliver it. Highlighting this with your child is key as you will be pointing out exactly what this person has done that is so kind.

Tip 10: Eyes not Hands
This really applies when out in nature on a walk. If animals are spotted, the kindest thing to do is watch and keep your distance. Instilling the clear message of look with your eyes, not your hands is very clear here. This shows kindness towards the animals and a thoughtful approach to nature.

It is one thing to know what kindness is. Acting on it and showing it is a very different proposition. By instilling kindness towards animals in children, there is a better chance of animals being looked after in the future.

Madeline Miller is a freelance writer at Essay Roo and Assignment Writing Service. She writes thought provoking articles about education and is a regular blogger at Big Assignments.

“Success begins with a fellow’s will – it’s all in a state of mind.”

I’ll never forget 8 year old Orly walking into school on my first day of third grade. Learning wasn’t my strong suit and so school wasn’t something I was particularly excited about. On top of that my parents were told that I needed to be placed in the Resource Room, a much smaller setting for students that had learning difficulties. Feeling inadequate as it is, being in Resource Room made me feel stupid – made me feel like a failure.

One day the Resource Room teacher walked into class and she had an assignment for us. She handed out a Poem and asked us to decorate it. So there I was, an 8 year old kid. I took the poem, glued it to a piece of pink construction paper, added a bit of sparkles and doodles. She read the poem to us and it spoke to me in a deep and impactful way. I began to read the poem day after day, time after time – until I committed it to memory. Little did I know that this poem would empower me and instill within me a sense of determination that would take me through some challenging circumstances ahead.

30 years and change later, I still remember that poem and recall the feelings I felt when I first read it.

“If you think you can’t do it – YOU CAN’T
If you think you dare not – YOU DON’T
If you’d like to win but think you can’t – it’s almost a cinch YOU WON’T
If you think you’ll lose – YOU LOST
For out in this world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in a state of mind.

Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man
For sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can.” ~Walter D Wintle

Success stems from the power of your conviction to will it so – your determination to see it through – to never give up, to never back down. Above all, to quiet the voices in your head – the voices in the world telling you YOU CAN’T.

Those voices, those deterrents of progress can only have power if you let them. Will you always succeed just because you try? Of course not! But success isn’t about whether you hit your goal, but rather about whether you were determined enough to step up to the plate. After all, our failures, in hindsight, are catalysts for our greatest successes. A determined person will have many failures under their belt but those failures don’t deter them, they spur them on, they breed creativity, ingenuity and help them think outside the box.

That poem didn’t get me through the hard times, that poem ignited that determination that was there within me all along to see those hard times as stops along my journey instead of seeing them as the final destination.

Do I always succeed in being determined? No, of course not. I’m human. We all are. And it is human to have ups and downs, highs and lows, moments of strength and moments of weakness. But being determined removes our need for an all or nothing mindset. It whispers in our ear to try again, even when we find ourselves dropping to all time low levels of energy, enthusiasm and strength.

So my message to you, as well as to myself is to remember that when we find ourselves stuck and feel as though there’s no chance we can get out of the funk we’re in, look at yourself in the mirror and remember that the person staring back at you is stronger than you think and braver than you can believe.

Ask yourself, what can you learn from your current position? How can you adjust? And then pivot and try again.

If you don’t bet on you, then you’ll find no one will bet on you either. Don’t give up – the world needs you to shine. Just remember, you’re a shining light even if you find yourself lost in the darkness. As we know the sun will regardless of the darkness of night that precedes it.