Today while the little guy was sleeping and I was laying in the beach chair next to him, I had a reality check.  It was one of those quick ones that you might not notice most of the time if you are on holiday because you are so focused on all the wonderful things.  I still see those wonderful things, but I guess I appreciate it even more now.  I can’t help but feel grateful for not only my upbringing and background but also to be able to raise my son in a way that allows us to take holidays like the one we are on.  Here’s what I saw: 

Basically what you have here is a kid selling stuff.  A kid at work, on a Wednesday morning. What do your kids do on Wednesday mornings?  He was probably somewhere between 8-12 years old, selling “hand made” wind chimes to the tourists, who bought stuff from him readily.  I was crushed when I saw this, probably because I have my own son who I want to give a great life to, and seeing this reminds me of the reality of child labor in the world, the reality of the hardship of life in many parts of the world, and what the reality of tropical tourist destinations is behind the resort doors.

I felt so grateful to have the life I have been given.  So grateful to be from where I am from, to have the parents I have.  How easy it is to take the simple fact for granted that I got to go to school when I was a child.  I want to give the same and so much more to my son.  I want others to also do the same, and I want children everywhere to experience a true childhood full of learning and wonder and fun, not selling trinkets on the beach.