Making Compassion a Habit
Introducing young children to the concept of peace helps them return to those feelings of calm and contentedness when they experience emotional overwhelm. Linking the feeling of peace with a particular person, like a parent, teacher or friend helps reinforce for kids that they’re not alone when they need help regulating.
With a quarantine in progress across many parts of the world, now is a perfect opportunity to encourage kids to be of service at home (they might disagree, but stay with me here).
Ever help carry someone’s groceries, drop cookies off at your neighbor’s or slip a few quarters into an about-to-expire parking meter? Or maybe you smiled at a stranger walking by, helped an elderly woman step down from the bus or made a funny face to distract a fussy child.
In 2015, President Obama shared his thoughts about how books make us better humans:
“When I think about how I understand my role as citizen…the most important stuff I’ve learned, I think I’ve learned from novels. It has to do with empathy…and the notion that it’s possible to connect with someone else even though they’re very different from you.”
I am often urging my children to be more kind. But what does that really mean?
This last week my 6-year old asked me a simple question, “Mommy, what is Labor Day?” I realized I hadn’t really spent any energy thinking about the meaning of this national holiday.
Conceived by a U.S. Senator back in 1970, Earth Day (celebrated annually on April 22nd) has become a global movement bringing over a billion people from around the world together to work towards the common goal of protecting our planet for future generations.
In the hours after the devastating Camp Fire began in November 2018, smoke laced the skies several hundred miles away. The deadliest wildfire in California’s history kept us inside and our kids out of school while we waited out the poor air conditions. In a few days, our lives returned to normal. For the people of Paradise, however, there was no normal to return to.
Continue reading “Delivering Peace to Paradise Fire Elementary School Children”
Racial bias, bullying and intolerance, mistrust, hatred, discrimination- all of these issues stem from fear of the unknown. One thing we can do as parents is encourage our children to learn about others who are different from them and learn to respect, and not fear those differences. Here are some ideas we have rounded up to help parents teach acceptance and equality at home. Continue reading “Mindful Parenting Round-Up: Teaching Acceptance & Equality”
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