Considering I have only made ONE entry so far this year, it is probably safe to say that 2019 has not been good to my blog. My failed blogger abilities for 2019 can possibly be attributed to multiple factors, including but not limited to, lack of time, lack of motivation, increasing work and school demands and so on...
But here I am.. back at it.. and I want to break my blogging silence by writing about my new favorite word: KINDNESS!
Last year I posted numerous entries about bullying and other unfortunate things that happened at school; I wrote about how the teachers and the school reacted to my mounting concerns and I also brushed on the subject of parenting bullies and mean children.
Following my initial post about bullying, Gaby received an anonymous note that read "I hate you"; needless to say we were incredibly distraught and even though it was horrible, I decided on a different approach: self defense! I spoke to Gaby about the importance of standing up for herself and we researched ways of self assertion...this seems to have worked better than making complaints to school staff and even to other parents...but still more change is needed.
Recently a fellow mom posted THIS article, which very clearly states the difference between rude, mean and bullying and I found it to be very insightful (read it if you have a chance!). The article made me think of the undeniable repercussions of not correcting our children in time; repercussions that are incredibly disturbing considering we are shaping the adults of the future...
Which.. speaking of adults...that's where kindness is most needed as evidenced by what happened to my 67 year old dad recently. See, my dad is a college professor, one of the "good" ones that really gives it all for his students.... A few weeks ago he happened to trip and fall while walking around campus; he ended up on the floor and unable to stand from said fall. He was appalled to see dozens of people (all adults) who walked by him and completely ignored him; not one person offered to lend a hand or help him stand, no one even asked if he was ok. My dad very eloquently told me how people were more focused on dodging him or simply just looking at their phones while he (an elder) just sat there, hopelessly waiting for a kind gesture from a stranger... this breaks my heart in a different level... I was speechless to hear this and it still angers me... My dad was eventually able to stand up and wasn't badly hurt, but that isn't the point of the story...
I have been pondering about what can be done to shift our "unkind" culture to something kind and positive. How can we make sure our kids don't become those adults that would walk past an elderly man on the floor without even seeming concerned?
The answer is simple.. Be Kind. Do Kind. Because kindness matters more than we know; our kids are watching, our kids are listening, our kids are imitating us and we have more control than we like to admit.
Pretty soon our school will be launching a "Kindness Campaign", one that focuses on random acts of kindness intended to teach our kids that kindness matters and that being kind to each other can turn our lives around. This campaign is also aimed at strengthening our kind values, beginning a culture shift and making kindness a core value that should never be overlooked. I am lucky to be surrounded by so many people who care about this and I hope we can make a big difference in our children's lives and our own.
Kindness Matters!
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