Help Your Child Change the World

That’s a pretty big order, isn’t it?!

Last week during a presentation to a class of 8th-graders,
I unintentionally scared some students. 

They let me know it, in no uncertain terms, during the Q & A at the end of the presentation.

Quite a few admitted that they panicked a bit when I told them I believed that it was their generation that would fix our fractured country and even had the potential to repair the world.  One wise 8th grader told me “that was a big order for a generation dealing with social media overdosing and a ton of mental health issues.”

Fortunately, they also let me know how relieved they were when I told them how they could easily achieve this humongous task and then even gave them simple suggestions to try…

I believe the younger generation, especially after watching the current behavior of the older generations, will choose kindness.  By being kind to someone, they can change the world.

You do not have to like everyone or agree with everything (or anything) they say … but you can choose to be kind.

1. Model Kindness

I often joke that little kids have big eyes and big ears when it comes to paying attention to adult things – especially when we don’t want them to!

However, if you demonstrate kindness as you go through life, your children will pick up on this. If they see you respond to someone who is sad with a hug or say thank you to someone who has just served you a cup of coffee, they will learn how to treat others with kindness.

2. Encourage Their Imagination

Encourage your children to imagine what someone else is feeling … and then what that person/animal might need.

“Imagine if your sister was really tired and grumpy. What do you think she might need?” (Her blanket, a nap, a hug, a snack?)

“Imagine your dog knocked over his water bowl. What do you think he is feeling right now? (sad, thirsty, helpless?) What do you think he might need?”

3. Perform Random Acts of Kindness Together!

• Bake cookies for a neighbor.
• Write letters to a family member who might need cheering up – or just be missing you.
• Shovel someone else’s driveway. (Please note- you will most likely be doing most of the work, but that falls under the idea above: Model Kindness!)
• Read a book to someone. This can be in-person or virtually – we used to read books over the phone to grandparents long before Skype, WhatsApp, Facetime, or Zoom were invented…
• Compliment someone, even a complete stranger – it could make their day!
• Donate toys or clothing that your child has outgrown.
• Paint cheerful rocks to leave around the neighborhood.

Besides my belief that kindness will change the world…
there are many scientific reasons to
be kind.

It increases your serotonin and dopamine, the neurotransmitters that help boost your mood and cause your pleasure centers to light up in your brain. Being kind not only helps the receiver but helps the giver feel pretty good, too.

Being kind can also help increase endorphin production – these are your body’s natural pain killers.

While there are multiple ways to reduce anxiety, kindness may be one of the easiest (and least expensive)! It’s hard to be anxious when your positive affect (joy, alertness, and interest) is on the rise caused by your kind behaviors towards someone else -yes, even a simple behavior such as a smile!

And science even backs up my belief that kindness will save the world! Research shows that kindness can also help build and strengthen relationships.

So, are you up for it?
Will you help your child change the world?

Check out the Kindness Calendar I created during my Gratitude Challenge in 2019 and please use it to sprinkle Random Acts of Kindness throughout your world. Click the button below!