Hello all! Hope everyone who is reading this has been having a fantastic week. This is the first week in my endeavors to catch up with current events. I’ve been scrolling through social media and couldn’t help but notice all the posts on instagram and facebook in attempts to raise awareness for the fires happening down in Australia. For a period of time, half of the stories on my instagram feed have been Australia-wildfire related things. A few months ago, I brought my son to the zoo, and it was awesome for me to see his face light up as he saw the animals from his story books in real life for the first time. One of his favorite animals was the kangaroo. He said that the pouch on the mother kangaroos looked funny, and that he wanted to try fitting inside. Kids are so silly. Anyways, the fires on Kangaroo Island have caused the deaths of over one billion animals so far. According to an article I read on BBC, a reporter saw charred koala and kangaroo carcasses as they drove along the areas where the fire struck. The cuteness of the animals that are being inflicted doesn’t help either. As a mother, I feel both an obligation to protect my son from hearing the harshness and disaster found in the real world, but also a responsibility to protect his innocence and have him learn on his own as he grows older (On a side note, I remember hearing in church when I was younger that large fires indicate the end of the world, so maybe that’s happening?).
Update: I started typing this blog post a few days ago and today, my son came back from school asking about the Australian wildfires. He said that the teacher told them about the animals being harmed in the fires, and that he even saw pictures of the big fires and hurt animals. I felt that this was a perfect segue for me to talk about the fire with him, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his new favorite animal. Overall he was calm, and I was surprised at how well he took it. In my research, I found that a fun way to donate and help the cause is through World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), where you can “adopt a kangaroo”. This is a $55 donation, in which you get a kangaroo plush, and kangaroo photo, an adoption certificate, species card, and two reusable gift bags. I decided to purchase this with my son, as I felt that this would be fun for Jeremiah, and a way for him to contribute to a cause he and I both cared about. He keeps asking when the package is going to come and it’s honestly so cute. If you’re reading this and just want to donate money, there are organizations like the Australian Red Cross, First Nations Communities, Foundations for Rural & Regional Renewal, and many more! Just do some research yourself and you’ll find so much stuff. Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of the week!
Chicken Gorl 