A few days ago I attended parent teacher conferences. I’m always interested to hear how the girls
act when I’m not there. What notes of
their personality shine through.
I keep thinking about what Lucy’s teacher said. She discussed how sometimes, she will pair
off Lucy with some kids that may be a bit challenging for other students to
deal with because “Lucy is patient and kind.”
That would have been embarrassing to cry at a conference, right? Well, I didn’t. So don’t judge.
My heart is still bursting with pride, though.
Kindness. I love that
word. It implies caring and intention.
And it is a choice.
Every day I have moments where I want to be quick witted and mean
(and sadly, sometimes I am), but every day I remind myself, “What can I do here
that would be kind?” It’s sad to me that
sometimes the harsh response is the first one that comes to my mind, or the
first response that I put into action.
I think about Lucy at school.
There’s often pressure to go with the rest of the kids when responding
to a situation. Lucy could make a choice
to be cruel to kids who are different or simply distance herself from
them. Instead, she makes a choice to be
kind.
What does kindness look like to me? A smile, a caring word. Taking the time to listen to someone’s
story.
Sometimes kindness is silence.
Not responding with a harsh comment or making a judgment on
someone. Sometimes kindness is tucking
in a whiny, overtired child without giving a lecture. Sometimes kindness is taking some quiet time for
myself before the kids, who are just being kids, lose all their privileges for
the day.
Kindness is about those choices that I make. I don’t always choose kindness. I can ask for grace. The grace to choose kindness in the next
moment.
This post is part of
my series:
I love that - the grace to choose kindness in the next moment. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! I often need that reminder myself. :)
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