October is National Bullying Awareness Month in the USA and I hope others in the world will also be aware of this important issue this month.
Each day, 160,000 kids in the USA do not go to school for fear of being bullied. This is an astounding number and it is not OK. Another staggering statistic: 1 in 4 kids have been bullied in their days at school. I have worked many years in the education system and have seen the effects of bullying; it is a vicious cycle. I also see the effects of bullying in my home. I do not brush off name-calling or mistreatment as sibling rivalry and something all kids need to deal with. It is not OK in our homes any more than it is OK in our schools.
I believe the answer to this bullying epidemic is kindness and living the golden rule. Yes, it’s simple, but it’s powerful when implemented. The golden rule is about treating others with kindness–not just those who are kind to but everyone, but even those who call you names, push you around, or take things from you. It’s about treating others the way you would want to be treated, even if they don’t seem to deserve it.
In the spirit of kindness I would like to share with you something my 10-year-old son has created to help kids overcome entitlement and find the power that comes from kindness, compassion and making a difference in simple, yet meaningful ways.
He created a game called Doogoods, which challenges kids to do simple, kind deeds for others in their homes, schools and community. He did this because he sees the negative way kids sometimes treat each other and he wants to change it.
Your challenge this month is to add more kindness in your home and school by challenging your kids to do good!
Here are some of the Doogoods Challenges:
Salaam: Greet someone nicely.
Charr: Share something nicely with someone.
Superbo: Tell five people what they are good at.
Topro: Solve a problem in a respectful way.
Tribute: Make a list of all the things you are grateful for and share your list with someone.
Work on a challenge each day this week and as a family, talk about the challenge you completed, how it made you feel, and how it affected others around you.
With every kind deed completed, kids will be developing a habit of kindness that will build greater self-confidence, awareness of others, empathy, respect and compassion.
Let’s teach our kids the power they have to do good, feel good, and change the world for good!
A special note from The Power of Moms co-founders, April and Saren:
We are so excited that Chantelle’s son has created a special business based on the ideas in this challenge. Teagan will be pitching his business idea, Doogoods, on the National TV Show Dragon’s Den on October 31st at 8:00 pm PST on CBC Television. This is an opportunity for him to share his business idea with five successful business people and see if they would like to invest in his idea. He is the youngest to ever pitch on the show!
We teach our own children to pursue projects that improve the world and encourage entrepreneurship, and this is a wonderful example we are happy to promote.
For more information on Teagan and Doogoods you can go to: www.doogoods.com.
