Why I Don't Want to Shelter My Children (too much)

Anna watches a show on PBS while I make dinner and then the BBC World News comes on.  Some images on the news can be scary for little children, so if the need arises, I  turn it off.  Last week, images of the West fire were on the news quite a bit and Anna asked me about it.  We talked about what happened and then it was a good opportunity to pray for the people there.

The next day it was on the news again and they showed some of the houses that burned down.  We talked and prayed again and later that evening, Anna told me she wanted to send all the money that she got in her Easter eggs to the boys and girls in West so they could have a house.  In that moment, I was completely blown away!  We talked about how we could mail them the money.

The next day, I was at Starbucks and saw that they were collecting items to send down to West.  I told Anna that we would go to the store to buy some things to send them and then she told me that she wanted to give away one of her stuffed puppy dogs and a book about pets.  Later, when we were putting everything together, she said she also wanted to color the boys and girls a picture.  Her ideas and generosity just kept coming. 

 

 The thought had crossed my mind to look into donating money online or something, but I had not really taken action.  Anna challenged me and convicted me to do more than just watch the stories and pray, but to give as well.  I love this little girl and am so proud of her.

 

 It is also a reminder to me that in order for Anna to develop a heart for this world, she needs to be aware of what is going on in it to some extent.  Obviously, there are many things she is not mature enough to handle knowing about and it is Brad and my job as parents to be a filter for her.