All "Bugs" Are Created Equal

I am a writer and I love that the power of words can get everyone talking – words can start discussions, change opinions and spread the word about things that really need to be spoken about. And, these days we have so many platforms to share our words. Social media has made it easier than ever before to communicate and start a dialogue.

I write a lot for sustainable businesses. Usually, small businesses with a small budget that are doing great things. Brands that don’t just think about profit but think about the impact their business has on the planet, their carbon footprint, their waste and their effect on the world around them. Brands that are being kind to the environment and wildlife and that want their business to be part of the solution and not the problem. This means starting with small achievable steps and building on success.

This "starting small" outlook got me thinking about how to spread this kindness in my work. And, what better place to start than with our youngest people? Our children will inherit this beautiful world around us, and we have a responsibility to make sure we destroy less and conserve more.

Children have a wonderful curiosity when they are toddlers to investigate what they see. They will pick up a muddy worm in their chubby fingers and, if you can stop them from eating it, they will love to watch it wiggle.

Sadly though, as they get older, many will be influenced by the general culture around ‘creepy crawlies’ and start to shy away from insects and spiders. They begin to think of bugs as annoying, painful even if they have a bad encounter with a wasp, and this can lead to a careless disconnection from the world around them where stamping on a spider is an okay thing to do.

Of course, this is not ok. Bugs are a vital part of our ecosystem and are part of a fascinating process that we only know a fraction about. What we do know is that insects including pollinators are in decline. For every house built, every field ploughed, and every chemical sprayed we are destroying their habitat, breaking the delicate balance of their lives and polluting their environment. Fewer wildflowers, more pesticides, fewer hedgerows, more brick walls – we know what we are doing but people need houses and food – we don’t seem to be able to find another way.

So, I figured the answer is to spread a little more kindness and to find ways to live in harmony with nature. To bring back the wonder in place of the fear and uncertainty. Stories to help a better understanding of the lives of bugs are a great way of introducing young children to a way of thinking that is inclusive and kind.

Meet Buzz the Bee for example. He lives in a garden in Cornwall and loves to collect nectar from the colorful flowers nearby. He is a solitary bee so likes to make his home in a small hole in a brick. He often chats to William the Worm who is busy in the compost heap breaking down all the peelings from the house to make into rich dark compost that the family can use to grow more veg. As the stories progress, we meet Hal the Hedgehog, Anthony the Ant, ladybirds, butterflies – you get the picture.

All these insects are working hard and even if they don’t have the glamorous job of producing honey-like Buzz, they are part of nature’s plan to keep the planet healthy and productive.

But then humans enter the scene with their big feet and even bigger ideas. Now that we have got to know our characters, children can now imagine emotions and responses. So, imagine if Anthony the Ant was out playing with his friends and it started snowing. Although it’s not snow, it’s a strange white powder that makes him feel ill. What if Hal ate some slug pellets, poisonous and dangerous but widely used. How would this little gang of bugs feel if the child from the house trod on William instead of gently picking him up from the path and putting him safely to the side?

I believe through storytelling, we can all be part of the narrative our children hear - that kindness is our superpower and starting with bugs we can all do our part to make our world a better place.

Being kind doesn’t cost the earth. Being kind is free, inclusive and easy once you open your mind and turn the “Ewww” into an “Oohh”. Once we have personalized the bugs a little, children will find a million ways to help them out.

Most importantly, children will treat ALL bugs the same way and would never discriminate against one bug or another, from starting a compost heap or building a bee hotel in the garden to rescuing an upended beetle on the way to school or leaving some sugar water out for an exhausted bee. Being a kind kid doesn’t cost the earth. In fact, they are saving the Earth! Literally sowing (wildflower) seeds for all our futures!

I believe storytelling can inform, educate and inspire. Children learn by example and stories can help them question habits and behaviors. Screaming at spiders and using chemicals in the garden can be replicated or challenged. We owe it to our children and our planet to raise kind, questioning and inclusive adults of the future.