Introduction
Simple kindness and friendliness is both a skill and a value. It involves parts of other values, such as the empathy of sensitivity and the boldness of courage, but it is a very separate and different value from these.
Kind, friendly people are generally more happy and successful than those who are often unfriendly and unkind. As we help our children work on kindness and friendliness, we’re helping them to grow and stretch in very important ways.
Friendliness and gentleness also apply to self. Children who learn to be gentle and tolerant with themselves generally grow up to be less stressed and more relaxed and secure.
Simple friendliness is a profound value. Often a smile, simple act of kindness, or a few words of extended friendship can change another person’s attitude and mood for the rest of the day — and longer.
In trying to teach kindness and friendliness to our children we once again realize that they are not lumps of clay to be molded as we choose, but seedlings — already who they are — ready to blossom if watered and fertilized and exposed to a lot of sunlight.
Whether your child is naturally shy and introverted or naturally quite out-going, you can help him or her find real satisfaction in striving to be kinder and more friendly.
_____________________
A friend of ours told me a story that I thought illustrated how parents can be kind and friendly to their own children and thus improve the rapport and feeling between family members and beyond.
He came home from work one day, went into his “private” bathroom, and found little five-year-old Lulu holding an empty container and standing over a bathtub that was overflowing with soap suds onto the tile. He nearly reacted the way most parents would have: “Lulu! What in the world are you doing? You’ve made a huge mess! You’re causing a flood!”
But instead, he took a moment to LOOK. He saw that Lulu had a scrub brush in hand and that the container she was holding was bathroom cleaner. He remembered he’d mentioned at breakfast that the tub was really looking dirty in the bathroom. So instead of accusing or reacting in anger, he said, “Oh, Lu, you were trying to clean the tub, weren’t you?”
Little Lulu looked down and said, “But Daddy, I used way too much soap!” It was a tender, warm moment that ended in a big hug.
If the father had said, “What are you doing? You aren’t supposed to be in here making a big mess!” Lulu would have said, probably with some bitterness or some hurt, “But Daddy, I was just trying to clean the tub!” It would have been an unpleasant, separating moment.
_____________________
Sometimes we don’t need to tell our children what they did wrong. They already know. If we are kind and gentle with them and look for the most positive possible explanation for what they are doing, we can experience teaching moments that are warm and kind and much more impactful than any angry “teaching moment” could be.
General Ideas for Teaching this Month’s Value
Kindness and Gentleness Pact
Have a “gentleness and politeness” pact.” This can create a mood of particular kindness and warmth in your home during this month. Get together as a family as you start this month and discuss how pleasant a place the world is when people are kind and gentle. Ask the children to join you in a “pact of gentleness and politeness” for the month. Explain that this will mean a commitment to some “do’s” and some “don’t’s.”
Examples of “Do’s”:
- Be polite — say, “please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me,”
- Look for chances to extend acts of courtesy and do nice things for people (brainstorm examples).
- Smile and ask, “How are you?” Expect a real answer to the question and listen to it.
- Give compliments – try to give one every day.
Examples of “Don’ts”:
- Don’t yell or raise your voice
- Don’t put other people down or point out what they’re doing wrong.
- Don’t be critical — neither of someone else nor of yourself. (No “I’m so stupid” or “I can’t do anything right.”
Talk at the dinner table each night about how things are going, how people feel, how hard it is to remember, and so on.
Talk about where your child stands in his natural abilities to be kind and friendly
Think together as a couple about what your challenge is with each child. There is nothing quite like the joy one feels after showing kindness to those who really need and appreciate it, whether it be a simple kind deed for a neighbor or kindness on a grander scale. However, kindness and friendliness are never as easy as they sound. Some children show their insecurities by putting other kids down while other shrinking violets and painfully shy children find social interactions really challenging. Others are naturally out-going and like to talk to new people. Some have natural empathy and naturally look for ways to be kind and friendly to those around them. Try to determine where your child fits in his natural abilities to be kind and friendly so that you know where to begin. Then think of a few simple things you could encourage each child to do that will be a bit of a stretch but that will be well within his or her ability-range.
Teach by example
Watch children respond. Once they get over the suspicion that you’re putting them on or rehearsing for a part in some play, they will begin to mirror what they see in you.
Teach your child the value of relationships, not only with friends but with family
During an evening meal every few months take the time to reinforce the importance of having friends and being a friend. Foster and nourish the idea that even though outside friends the family are very important, the best friends they will ever have should be their brother or sister (as well as their parents). Childhood friends will come and go, but family members will last throughout life. Those friendships should be nurtured and treated with care.
You could even try a private “game” among family members. When one child is arguing or calling names in a way that he would not think of doing with a friend, say the word “friend,” which is a code word to remember to be a little more kind. Although it may not always work in the heat of the moment, it will help raise the awareness of what they’re doing. (The same game works for parents who talk to their children in less than glowing terms, or vice versa.) You could even suggest that when a child is angry or being rude to another family member, an onlooking child has a responsibility to walk up to the child being persecuted, put his arm around him, and say, “Don’t talk that way to one of my best friends.”
* Photo by worradmu at www.freedigitalphotos.net
Laurel Smith says
I was excited to see Kindness and Friendliness as this month’s value – as my husband and I had recently been discussing how we really need to foster and build up our social life with friends in order to be better models for our children on how they should foster and build their own friendships. Over the past several years, we have become so caught up in just the lives and activities of our busy family that we have let many friendships or opportunities for friendship slide. We believe this has resulted with our children (particulatly our oldest son) having a difficult time finding the confidence or even the “know how” to reach out to others and build strong, enduring friendships. I am committed to reaching out and becoming a better friend so that my children might follow my example.
We have seen an increase in teasing and put downs among our children recently. I really liked the “look at them like you would a friend” idea and plan to suggest we start playing the sibling “friend” game as soon as possilbe!
Lindsay says
Wow, o.k., this is great! Friendliness is something I try so hard to teach my kids. I am always encouraging them to put on a happy face. My 5 and 3 year old like to pout ALOT! We sing the “If You Chance to Meet a Frown” song quite frequently and my said three year old calls it her “special song.”
I have noticed my five year old has a serious dose of perfectionism and cannot stand to make a mistake or be corrected. She has a complete meltdown, crying and all, and it’s so hard to be nice and encouraging when it can be so frustrating as a parent. However, I’ve been trying to make a special effort these last few weeks in trying to teach her to “do her best.” We were in the kitchen and I was trying to teach her how to make her favorite soup. She poured way to much oil into the pot and she immediately started apologizing, but I just tried to be as nice as can be, and told her it was o.k. and that she was learning. We went through it all over again when she spilled the milk, but with that kind of attitude, we made it through the whole recipe, and I think she felt more self confident and hopefully learned to be kinder to herself. It was a good experience for both of us.
I’m also really excited to teach the “magic words” and to play the “eye catching game.”
Thanks for all the great ideas.
Kathy says
What a simple yet sweet way to teach younger children. I love the idea of making up stories this month that focus on magic words for my 3 yo and 3 mo.
Beccam says
Love this article and this focus for the month. I think that my 2 young children (almost 4 and almost 5) are pretty naturally friendly. When my oldest came home with her progress report from preschool her teacher had written on it: “Sydney is nice to everyone.” That just made me so happy. Since she is my oldest I had no idea that other kids her age weren’t just naturally nice to everyone but as I have interacted more and more with other children their age I am starting to see that they both have a natural inclination to be friendly and kind. At times I have felt a little guilty for being a “hug pusher” or for bugging my children too much to be friendly to others. I have wondered if I should let them initiate more on their own, but reading this article makes me feel validated in what I have been doing. I am hoping that what they have learned as little kids will stick with them as they get older and that they will continue being friendly and kind to others on their own initiative.
One of the things that I do regularly to encourage them to be friendly is when we are going through the check-out line at the grocery store I glance at the cashier’s name badge and I whisper in one of my children’s ear: “Say Have a nice day Janice.” When they do it, the result is always a huge smile from the cashier and I know it makes my kids feel good too. Also, when we go through the drive through at McDonalds or wherever I always roll down their window and have them say thank you to the person who gives us our food.
I was a little afraid to start reading these articles because I thought I would just feel so inadequate after reading them, but this has given me a little boost of confidence. Thanks!