My husband is one of the good ones. I could gush about him for hours and label absolutely everything that I love about him, but the thing that I love the most is that he’s kind.
He knows when to listen. He knows when to hug. He knows when to challenge. He knows all of this because he is kind. He takes the time to think of those around him before he speaks.
He holds the door. He helps me with my coat. He even throws a hat at me when I’m running out the door on a chilly morning – not at all dressed for the weather. He does all of that because he’s kind.
People often ask me how to talk to their kids about bullying. How should they explain it? Should they actually use the word “bully”? Should they tell their kids to defend themselves or to yell for help?
There are advocacy groups all over the place working hard to put an end to bullying. They raise awareness. They share statistics. Some of them even have “tool boxes” available. I love that people are working around the clock to stop the cycle of bullying that takes the lives of our children.
But I despise that such a task exists.
The truth is that it shouldn’t be this hard. By no means should bullying be an epidemic. If parents would simply choose to teach kindness, the violence and hatred would cease to exist. It’s simple, isn’t it?
I’m over at moonfrye today with my thoughts on kindness. Please join me over there – and then sit down with your kids and talk about kindness…because kindness counts.
