It was a busy morning like any other school morning in my kitchen. Prepping lunches, making breakfast, washing dishes, signing classroom papers, reminding everyone to brush their teeth and saying the time to make sure no one misses the bus… I am sure you get the picture!

My husband had left, on the kitchen counter, a couple of magazines that came in the mail. As I was rushing to get everybody ready for school, I took the magazines, I considered them trash, and I put them in the regular trash can. As soon as I did that, a strong phrase came from the kitchen table that went exactly like this “I THOUGHT YOU WERE ON THE “SAVE THE WORLD TEAM, MOM!”. I looked back and there she was, my little one, my eight- year- old daughter who was quietly having breakfast and WATCHING ME! I looked puzzled and replied “Say that again, please”. She responded “Mom, you always talk about taking care of the earth and you just forgot that we recycle the magazines”. I took the magazines from the waste basket and said “I AM ON THE SAVE THE WORLD TEAM, I WILL TAKE THIS TO THE RECYCLING BIN RIGHT NOW”… she smiled and said “ I knew that mom!”

They all left and I was alone in my house thinking: It is in those little moments that we educate. Sometimes, I fool myself thinking that when I plan my special one on one outings with my kids is when I pass along “my teachings”. Nope! It happens in the mist of everyday chaos. It is right then: when we kindly greet the cashier at the grocery store, when we cuddle with a book, when we carefully set the table for dinner, when we smile at our husband as he gets home from work, when we prepare a meal for a friend who is sick, when we surprise grandma with a visit, when we take on new projects, when we go to our dance class, when we drive friendly, when we diligently clean closets, when we send the teachers the Lysol wipes they need, when we unplug from our phones…and Yes. It is also right then: when we forget to recycle.. a nice reminder that they are always watching!