I have such a hard time watching movies where children are injured or mistreated. Tonight, I saw Slumdog Millionaire and it was tough. The reality is hard. I can't imagine my son going through what those kids went through. And yet, that is the way of the world in so MANY places.

As a stark contrast: today, I took Allex on a hike along one of the most peaceful and beautiful creeks in the world. It's a private property, of which, I have permission to be on.

We explored the creek, and as we did, we caught a bright yellow/black speckled frog (which quickly wriggled free) and watched a turtle peek up at us and then dive down into the safety of murky water. We scoped and planned routes, hopping across and over the running water, using boulders, soft sand banks and even a huge, fallen tree.

As we went along, I gave Allex brief, but useful, words of wisdom and small pep talks about being confident and courageous and smart. When he was scared and doubted his abilities (in a situation I knew he could handle, like crossing the creek on a log that was about 18" wide and very sturdy, when I know he keeps his balance on 4" wide balance beams every single time), I told him he could do it and to not be afraid!

He listened and balanced on the log, crossing about a 20' span of 2-3' deep water! Allex learned several important lessons; when others believe in you, it helps; use your head and be smart, it can get you out of most anything; be confident, knowing that you can accomplish feats which, at first, appear out of reach.

How much he had instilled in one afternoon! The repetition of these confidence building blocks and attentive instruction makes such a huge impact on a child's life. I hope Allex is protected as much as possible from the corrupt realities of a dominating, dominated social structure. And I hope that more and more children are kept protected from the same.

This movie was a great reminder of how so many people endure lives like this and how thankful we should be for the good fortune we have!