Baby Chick Patterns and Lent

For Lent this year, I’m giving back instead of giving up. If you’re new to Lattes and Llamas, you can read more about my mission here and here. Fun Fact: I’m giving back to YOU. In addition to our fabulous blog giveaway, I am also dropping a free pattern every Wednesday in March.

Jac is showing her agnostic support this week by giving you an adorable Baby Chick crochet pattern (click the link to automatically download your free PDF.) It’s coming at you just in time for Spring. This amigurumi pattern works up quickly, so you might consider making two: one for yourself and one for a loved one. Or donate a few to your local Domestic Violence Shelter. They are always in need of comfort objects for children.

Lent is a time that I tend to reflect on the world we live in. My delicious knitter crust surrounds a creamy Social Worker filling and every day I’m reminded how lucky I am. I deal with some pretty unsavory stuff at work, and domestic violence is all too common a topic for me. You may have heard me mention Child’s Play charity before and you may have even seen this video, but I think it’s worth sharing again.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rgj-PXq1I8]

When I was in grad school, I had an ethics class where we discussed a common misconception in social services: that things which are “better” are also “good.” It’s easy, even for me after all these years as a clinician, to want to say: “Well, the people in the Domestic Abuse Shelter are certainly better off. They must be happy about that.” While they are certainly better off in a shelter rather than with their abuser, it’s not always easy for kids to see it that way.

Imagine getting picked up at school one day and being told you can’t go home. You can’t call certain people or tell your friends where you’re going. You can’t even go get your toys. Kids in these situation are dealing with a whole lot of “can’t.” Sometimes they understand what is happening and sometimes they don’t, but I have yet to meet a single child that was able to understand why they had to leave most of their toys behind. Usually these moves are made quickly. There was no time to pack the house and load a truck. More often than not, their caregiver put what they could in a car and left. Just as often, there is little to no budget to replace items like toys.

Last year, Child’s Play began providing games, consoles, and game accessories to children that may literally have nothing. For a kid in a Domestic Abuse Shelter, getting to play video games can make a life changing difference. These games provide a sense of normalcy and give therapists like me a way to sit with them and build a rapport through the use of play. Please consider joining me and Jac in supporting Child’s Play Charity’s efforts to equip shelters with games and consoles. Our goal is to raise $1,000 on their behalf this year and no contribution is too small. You can make a donation here.

~ Megan-Anne
The karmic exchange rate for donated dollars to guilt free Oreos is 1:3.