WOW! Love this video and its message.
I was laughing until the ***SPOILER ALERT*** stroller started rolling towards the water. And then, I felt my gut tighten and tears form in my eyes.
Because no matter what we think or do within our own little families, the common denominator is the overwhelming love we have for our children, and by extension, for the safety and well-being of all children. In situations like this, all of the arbitrary categories we and the media propagate wash away, and we simply react like loving, caring people.
And that leads to one of my favorite parenting things: that other parents/families/people get to decide what is right for them, and we decide what is right for us. Doesn't make us better or them better or one right and one wrong. Just different ways of doing things, and each family has to decide what works best for them.
Also teaching them that life is sometimes unfair, and that regardless of what happens, their happiness and well-being are largely dependent on their attitudes, choices, and behaviors.
This was something that came up recently when my youngest son complained about something the teacher did that he thought was unfair. While he had a valid point, this was an opportunity to talk with him about how we don't always get what we want, even if we've done a really great job and even if our point makes sense; that many things in life are judgement calls and that other people sometimes get to make those decisions and we just have to roll with it and not get bogged down by things we can't control.
If they get these lessons, it's a really good start, I think.
J. F.