30 Days to Being a Purposeful Mommy, Day 21

Day 21: Teach your Kids Compassion and Kindness

So, we´ve established that most of what we can teach our children we should teach first and foremost through our example. Every time we see someone who is ¨different¨, our kids will notice, and probably even point that person out to us if they have never seen someone like that.  These are golden opportunities to help our children understand their world and develop correct reactions to it.

It´s a natural reaction to scold when our children point and stare at someone. (Bad manners, anyone?) But a better response is to correct that behavior while explaining to our children what is going on. Did they see someone with a different skin color for the first time? Why not point out that people from different places in the world have different skin colors, and ask your child what color skin they would like to have? Start up a conversation that teaches your children to value differences and find them interesting rather than weird or scary.

There are many different opportunities for teaching compassion, and it is so easy! Children are just beginning to understand the world, and look to us to guide them. If we go a step beyond simply scolding them, and teach them to value differences in people and to treat others with kindness, we are taking yet another opportunity to be purposeful in our parenting.