Back-to-School Kindness Challenge!

The time has come…and I can’t believe it.  The 2018-2019 school year has snuck up on us and is about to be in full swing! I  can honestly say I have a love hate relationship with the idea of my oldest returning to school. My anxiety is just not equipped to handle all the “what-ifs” that public school brings, BUT I know I cannot keep my child in a bubble as much as I want to, can I? I wish that was an option but the girl loves school and is eager to return so she can see her friends and dive right back into the wonderful world of science and math. (Her words, not mine). 

Of course, I know realistically there is absolutely no way to keep my kiddos 100% safe 100% of the time regardless of what I do, but seeing horror stories on replay on social media and the news blaring devastating news 24/7  doesn’t quite settle well in the “mom gut”. I try very hard to turn her over to the school, pray hard and trust she is going to be taken care of. My mind ALWAYS wonders into panic mode, I can’t help it. I kind of feel like with the crazy world we live in today, us parents have to be diligent and prepared for any possibility. Here is the deal though, not only does my mind work in overdrive thanks to anxiety-land, but I always wonder about the kids in school that struggle and to be frank, those who feel as lost as those that have previously made the news. What can we do, what can our kids do? Believe it or not (and I know we as mothers know this!) between us, the teachers and our kids, a HUGE difference can be made for the kids who feel like they don’t belong.

Now that our kids are properly stocked and ready for their new year in school, lets load them down with one more little thing that wasn’t on the supply list this year: High 5 Kindness Challenge!

1. Spot the NEW kid – Encourage your child to be one of the first to say, “Hi,” and show them around the school. Remind your kiddo that the “new” kid probably is just as nervous as they are to be going back to school, but even more so because they literally know no one! Showing the new students that the environment has at least one friendly face and an eager person to help them out can make their transition much less stressful! Helpful Hint – Marli WAS the “new” kid her second grade year in Plano, and the teacher paired her up with another new girl. Sometimes the teacher does the work, but it’s always “cooler” if a peer makes the effort!
2. Spot the LONELY kid – #1 & 2 could be the same kid, or not. I remember when I was in school there was one particular kid who every single year was always by themselves. Maybe they prefer it that way or maybe no one ever gave them the time of day for whatever reason. Encourage your child to step outside of their comfort zone, clique, or whatever hesitation they may have and at least attempt to approach this kid. Who knows what goes on when they leave school and why they are always alone, but maybe your child can be the one person who breaks the ice and befriends another student, or at least becomes an acquaintance! A small act of kindness and effort makes a huge effort.
3. Compliment – I say to challenge your child to hand out a minimum of 3 genuine compliments a day… even to people they do not know. I consider this God given gift a SUPER POWER!! The smallest compliment can turn a persons day completely around, we all know that! One of our jobs as parents is to teach our kids to build each other up instead of allowing the world, music, social media, etc to lead them to believe its funny and cool to destroy one another. I tell my kids “A moment of glory is worth nothing if you had to step on, destroy or take away from someone else in order to shine”.
4. Become Involved – This may seem like a strange piece to the challenge, but hear me out. Our schools need great peer role models. Encourage your child to step up and join in! Clubs, volunteer work, sports, after school activities, assistance with younger grades, whatever they feel they can make a difference in. The kids in the school need to see their peers active in positive activities so they can see it is “cool” to be involved in the school system and to be more than just a student! School in itself should be seen as a safe zone and truly a place kids go to learn and have fun. Sure, lets face it, most school work isn’t fun, but being surrounded by positive influences that are peers and teachers in a FUN environment makes a difference in students’ lives don’t you think? I would love to see each parent really encourage their child to become a part of something new this year! See what happens.
5. BE Kind – Plain and simple. Think Kind. Respond Kind. Speak Kind. ACT Kind. I think we put kindness on this giant mountain that seems so unobtainable but my gosh…it is literally a basic concept to being a human being! Kindness has just gotten lost somewhere in translation over the years and it is like the war of  wars to get it back. How do we do it?! By BEING kind! Teach your children the kindness you display to your fellow co-worker, the teller at the bank, the cashier at the grocery store, or a nice stranger who says hello in passing. All it takes is a simple mindset that says “I WILL be kind, speak kind, and act kind.” Sure, they’re going to mess up, they are going to get angry and act like a lunatic sometimes, but they’re human. Let’s at least get their mind set to KIND!

Raising kids isn’t easy, but the best thing we can do is lead by example. I know for myself I need some work in the kindness area, so as I’m writing this, I’m having “aha” moments and realizing I needed these reminders for myself as well!

So here we go moms and dads!! We are sending our kiddos into a fresh new school year and I encourage you to take the opportunity to pump them up about the difference they can make. Remind them that just one small act of kindness adds up and can make a huge difference to someone! If the whole kindness speech doesn’t shatter their hearts with joy and happiness, then do what I do, go for the guilt approach…. “Our world and your future depend on it!”

Good luck with your challenge and also getting back into a routine!

Here is to a wonderfully KIND 2018-2019 school year!