Teach Them Not To Judge

I know I know, in today's society it is so hard not to judge. We like to think we don't do it but most of us do. I pride myself on not judging in color, sex, creed, religion ect but you put a republican on the TV and all of a sudden I'm mister know it all and have figured them all out. Take a minute and think of who you might judge... go a head.. I'll wait. Is it a political party? Is it a celebrity? Is it a friend that makes bad choices? If you don't have a judgmental bone in your body then more power to you, but for most of us it's something that we struggle with. The whole point is to TRY. You have to try your hardest to not judge others in front of your children. If someone comes on the TV that drives you nuts, show your child that you can show compassion. Wish the person well, say something nice about them even if you have to reach really far to do it.

   My kids have been on a compassionate diet since they were babies. When Zach was around 3 or 4 and we would be in the grocery store he would see someone with meat in their cart and would immediately begin confronting them saying "Why are you buying that?" or "You shouldn't eat meat" I realized then that it was time to teach him the difference in believing in something and judging others for not believing the same thing. I had the talk with him about how we live in a beautiful country where people are allowed to make their own choices and if other people don't make choices that are what we feel is right, then that is THEIR choice. There was naturally a bit of confusion because we taught them about animal rights and a healthy diet and how it was the right way to live. I had to explain that it was right for US and that if people asked him about why we don't eat meat it was completely fine to explain why but that he shouldn't judge others.

   I am amazed all the time at how much my 2 oldest want to help others. They want to pick up trash if they see it on the road. They don't think of anyone different if they have a different skin color. They do everything they can to make people feel comfortable and happy. I truly believe that hatred is taught, and that lesson begins with judgment. Neo-Nazi's don't grow up in loving households void of judgment. Now I'm only using that as an example to make a point but it happens to be the main point I'm trying to make. If you teach your child not to judge, to love his fellow man and animal, and to treat others the way they wish to be treated, you should have a good shot at having a compassionate kid.

    Questions To Ask Yourself:
1. Do my political beliefs make me say things I shouldn't in front of my kids?

2. Is there someone in our life that my child has an opinion about because of things I say behind their back?

3. Do I practice the true expression of One Love in my daily life to the best of my abilities?

It Starts With YOU!!

   Too many times I've seen parents who do things like yell at their kids to try to get them to stop fighting, or do nothing but talk about people behind their backs and then expect their children to be trusting, loving kids. Or how about this one... the parent feeds the kid nothing but fast food and soda and then gets on to them about their weight, telling them they need to go out and exercise when the diet they are on allows no energy. These are only a few examples of parents doing one thing and then expecting their children to do the opposite. I'm sorry but it just doesn't work like that. Children (to a point) become exactly what they see. I think if we had even the slightest idea of how much our kids were learning from the way we behave we would have a whole new outlook on what we do. I know I would.

   When I think back on my childhood I don't remember all the big exciting stuff as much as I do the one on one talks, the drives with only my mom in the car when we had nothing but each other to keep ourselves busy. I remember the music that was in the household, I remember that when all my friends as a kid were stepping on frogs and killing bugs for the hell of it somehow I knew that was wrong. Although I wasn't raised vegan I always knew where our food came from and the sacrifice that had to be made. Luckily as an adult I chose to not eat animals but even that decision had to come from somewhere and I honestly believe it came from growing up in a compassionate household. Ok, before my mom gets a big head reading this let me tell you that there were a lot of decisions along the way that made me who I am today. I was a Haight/Ashbury guy for a number of years in San Francisco, enjoying being a teenager and doing the hippie thing all over the country and going to Rainbow Gatherings (look it up) and in doing all of this, when a lot of people my age were going to collage and getting jobs I was traveling the country volunteering for different kitchens, having long discussions with my friends about how to make the world a better place, and practicing love and compassion in my everyday living. And while I wouldn't have even had a foundation to go on had it not been for my childhood I also had to grow up and implement these things in to action.

   This is the hope for all parents, that your kids will grow up and be the people you wanted them to be. I am here to tell you that unless they see your actions reflect your beliefs you have a slim chance of seeing all your hard work pay off in the way of a compassionate child. I don't want to go on and on about my kids, Zach 9, Ben 7, and Dylan 1 month, there's plenty of time for that, and trust me I will, but I can tell you that we never have problems with them being mean to other kids. We never have problems with them raising their voices because we don't raise our voice. We almost never have any of the major problems that I see most parents having. Of course now that I've said that publicly our 1 month old is going to grow up to be a cage fighter but I'll take that risk.

   I guess what I'm trying to say is that it starts with you as a parent. It starts with you being compassionate. It starts with you not yelling at the driver that just cut you off. It starts with you being nice to people in front of your kid and then calling them a jackass when they turn around to the same kid. It starts with at least explaining where your food comes from. If you eat a meat based diet let them know that an animal had to die so that they could eat. Explain to them that life is precious and not to be taken advantage of. My own personal hope is that you already are or are thinking about switching to a more compassionate diet. I can't tell you how much teaching/learning time we have had with our kids just by eating a diet that allows life to go on as it should. You will have a hard time telling them that all life is equal when they have a hamburger on their plate... just sayin'

   Ok I'm done. Thank you so much for reading my ramblings. If you have any questions or comments please post them and I will respond as soon as I can. And if I can figure out how to post pics I will leave pics of my lil ones below. One Love, One Life, One World

                                                                                                 Nameste,
                                                                                                      Sid

 

Intro To My Blog

Hello World! My name is Sid Pierce and I'm starting this blog because I find it hard to find guides on how to raise compassionate children. Now, in full disclosure, a lot of what I'll be writing about is the vegan aspect of our life and how the love and compassion that we feel for other living things is a big part of how me and my wife have had so much luck in raising such loving children. If you ask any of our friends/family they will tell you that they are amazed at how much of an "old soul" our kids have and how loving they are. It isn't just our diet, it's the music we listen to, the people we allow in to our lives, the way we interact at home, and a number of other things that I will write about in the future.

 Now, if you're thinking that if you're not vegan/vegetarian than you won't get anything out of this than you're 100 % wrong. Unlike a lot of my vegan buddies I am NOT a "preachy" vegan. While I do most assuredly believe that humans are not meant to consume animals, I also realize that, just as in Christianity or any other belief system, being judgmental and overly pushy will do nothing but push those away who you are trying to reach. Who in the hell would want to be one of "those people" if all that happens is you too become a judgmental  person? So basically what I'm saying is that you won't hear me calling you meat eaters "murders" or "nazi's" or any of the other horrible things I hear in our so called "compassionate" lifestyle.

  So that's pretty much it. In this blog I hope to touch on all aspects of ways to raise a new generation of compassionate, loving, happy, healthy children. You don't have to be vegan to get anything from what I will say. You don't have to be a hippie (although it doesn't hurt lol) and you most definitely don't have to implement all things that I suggest. My main goal is to give you some pointers that have worked for me and my wife over that last 9 years with our 3 children. I might even have them post a thing or two from time to time about how they feel about life and it's value. You will see why I feel like I have a thing or two to say about raising compassionate kids.

                                                                                              Nameste,
                                                                                                     Sid