How much has already been said and discussed about the right and wrong methods of raising our children! In this note, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this topic, talking about an incident in which I was a participant just yesterday. And it was like this. As always, after returning home from work, my husband and I did not fail to walk our pet, our beloved dog Jem. For this purpose, we went to a place we had chosen not far from home; fortunately we live in an area of ​​the city where it is quite green. As soon as we approached, a piercing magpie chirping began. I heard the same bird chorus yesterday, but I didn’t know the reason for this phenomenon. At the same time, a boy about 10 years old came up to us and told us that the magpies were making such a noise because of their chicks, which he had known about since yesterday. And indeed, the birds were very excited, they chirped, and one of them even pecked a branch with its beak, from which chips flew off. This is what parental instinct means! And then we saw on the ground in the grass, sitting somewhat awkwardly, a chick that had probably fallen out of the nest, but could not get back into place, since it did not yet know how to fly. The boy also pointed out to us another chick, more dignified, sitting high on a tree. “There are several of them here. And yesterday the girls tortured this one - they dragged him around and stuffed him with porridge!” - he said excitedly, taking the “wretch” into his hands. At that moment, the boy’s mother joined us, accompanied by a little Yorkie. All of us: the boy (I asked his name, he called himself Misha), his mother, my husband and I, began to reflect on the further fate of the unfortunate bird. The husband even tried to hoist the chick onto a branch, but it was so weak that it would certainly fall again. “Mom, please, let’s take him home!” I’ll immediately run to get the box, you won’t even notice it!” - Misha turned to his mother. “Wait, you see, I’m talking...” the woman answered very convincingly and quietly. And the boy immediately stopped short and began to wait, and it was clear how impatient he was to take the chick. “Here it is with us all the time, we have to nurse someone. I got this from my father, he saved everyone,” the woman told us. She couldn't make a decision. “So dad (she meant her husband, Misha’s father) will probably be unhappy,” she complained. But she said it calmly, without tension. But Misha did not let up, looking at his mother with a pleading look in his eyes. The woman took the chick in her hands and drew our attention to the damage on the bird’s leg. Then she said: “Okay, let’s take it and, leaning towards her dog, extended her hands with the shirt and asked: “Well, will you accept it?” And I immediately thought: “What wonderful relationships reign within this family. It treats the rights and needs of everyone, even dogs, with attention and respect. And also,” I thought, “they educate there not with words, but with actions.” I will not hide that at some point, at the very beginning, the thought flashed through my mind - to take the chick home, but immediately other thoughts came to mind about the upcoming inconveniences and responsibilities. How grateful I was to Misha for his determination! I remembered that as a child I did exactly the same as him, I also nursed all kinds of living creatures and was ashamed of my cowardice today, as an adult. Here’s the paradox: children have much more courage and determination, and most importantly, responsiveness. But for some reason it seems to me that there are fewer people like Misha now, or rather, there is less opportunity to develop such traits as kindness, humanity, love for all living things. I wish I was wrong about this, but where is everything that was in my childhood? A living corner in the kindergarten I attended, a club for young naturalists, and a wonderful greenhouse at the school where I studied for 10 years. Is this available anywhere now? Probably there is, but in very limited quantities. After all, now we are constantly frightened by allergies, encouraged to live almost in sterility! By the way, studies have shown that allergic reactions are characteristic exclusively of urban residents. And adults and children in the village.