A couple of months ago my kids held their “All Dogs Lives Matter” bake sale. My daughters are getting older and more versed in the issues of our time.

I’ve never been one to shelter my kids, and enjoy helping them see all sides of an issue. Even so I was a little nervous when they came to me and said they wanted to host these events. My eldest wanted to run a bake sale to raise money for black cats and call it, “Black Cat Lives Matter.”

Her little sister who is nearing her 10th birthday wanted to do an “All Dogs Lives Matter” bake sale. They both thought it would be a fun way to take something divisive and bring people together by helping animals in need. They decided to do the one for dogs first since dogs are pretty universally loved and see how it goes.

https://jessicamariebaumgartner.com/2022/05/14/teach-your-children-well/

On the day of the first event, Iworked on my articles while the girls baked and made lemonade, then helped them set up their stand. Although other family members were nervous that it would offend some community members we raised nearly $300 and everyone was very sweet.

So this month my eldest held her “Black Cat Lives Matter” bake sale. She carefully baked her goods and squeezed lemonade. The response was definitely not nearly as great but we pulled in just under $100, and that is a nice sum considering that the economy has continued tanking throughout this year, and that not everyone is a cat person.

My eldest was a bit discouraged, but it was a good learning experience. Sometimes we just have to try and see how things go. Timing, weather, and every little detail can affect so much.

For anyone testing out their own events or just starting a business in the current economic uncertainty, I want to offer my support and point out that although things might not always reach our expectations, there are times when they exceed them. It’s all part of the balance of life and everything we do.

It was nice just seeing our neighbors and offering whatever help we could. Sometimes the experiences alone are well worth the effort.