Teaching kids tolerance, humility and compassion
Rotten kids? Give them a chance!
Sometimes I get discouraged looking around at young kids. Some seem so different than I was at their age–they look like walking comic strips with their tattoos and barbarous natives from a South Pacific island with pins and rings and who-knows-what jammed into their noses or ears or lips or eyelids–and, perhaps, other orifices.
But I am learning to adjust my expectations and realize that some of these external symbols may be cries for attention as much as expressions of individuality.
Regardless of how I may interpret the young people I see, what is more important is how those younger souls behave. Some are simply marvelous individuals who bring bright things to life.
So, how do we give kids chances to make good things of their lives? It’s an age-old quandary, As a parent, I wrestled with it as did other young parents of my generation. Frankly, I think the job facing young parents today is more difficult than it was in my time, so I was glad to become acquainted with one adventurous program designed to help parents work through parenting challenges, The Good Kid Project
It’s a kind of inter-active publication with suggestions and lessons for parents and teachers to reach into the lives of youngsters and draw out of them compassion for others and an understanding of how young people can become decent people. I wish it had been available during my parenting days, but it’s not too late for today’s parents.
Until next time . . .
Comments are closed.