Last week, 11 children without parental care from the Small Family Home in Sokolović Kolonija stayed at the Small Family Home in Ledići. Accompanied by their caregivers, they spent two days on Bjelašnica, far from the city, noise, and technology.

This stay turned into an experience that exceeded all initial expectations — especially for the boys who, during the journey to Ledići, did not hide their disappointment.

A mountain house without television. Without internet. Without video games.

For some of the older boys, it sounded more like a punishment than a trip.

But nature has its own way of slowly, quietly, and gently bringing children back to what they truly need.

Kittens “defeated” the screens

Already on the first day, the kittens in Ledići completely captured their attention. Two small, warm bundles of fur found their place exactly where no one expected — in the arms of the older boys.

In the evening, the kittens slept tucked in beside them, and the boys, who had complained about the lack of Wi-Fi just a day earlier, were now careful not to wake the kittens, making sure they were warm and safe.

“These two days were too short for us. Next time we want to stay longer,” they told Belma Mujezinović, Director of Foundation Second, who organized their stay.

Snow, the village, and real tiredness

They spent their time outdoors — in the air that “pinches” the cheeks and clears the mind.

Sledding down white slopes, walking through the village, footprints in the snow, laughter echoing between houses and trees. The tiredness that came in the evening was not from sitting, but from movement, play, and fresh mountain air.

It was the kind of tiredness that brings peaceful sleep.

Caring for the space as part of growing up

The stay in Ledići was not just a trip. The boys also showed how responsible they can be.

They helped clean up waste and leftover materials from the work on the Mini Cat Barn. With their hands, they collected, carried, and cleaned — not because they had to, but because they had started to see the place as their own.

They learned that nature is not a backdrop, but a shared home that needs care.

When nature becomes a teacher

These two days once again showed how much children need time away from screens — time in which patience, empathy, and a sense of care for another being develop, whether it is a friend or a small meowing creature seeking warmth.

In Ledići, they did not get a better signal.

They gained something more important — peace, connection, laughter, the touch of fur, snow under their feet, and the feeling of belonging somewhere.

And that is why two days were simply not enough.