How can we nourish and strengthen our families in this threatening world?

How can we raise our children so they grow into adults with full and satisfying lives?

What parent hasn’t asked these questions?

The answer is, by teaching our children about kindness--starting at home. Genuine kindness is a powerful and life-changing skill that our children need to learn from us. As all parents know, our children learn from what we do, not what we say.

1. Demonstrate kindness. Let your children learn kindness by watching how you treat others. Let them see you acting with kindness toward your spouse. Let them experience your appreciation of them and your generosity toward them--and it needn’t be financial generosity. You can be generous with the time and attention you give your children. You can be generous with your patience when they are difficult, and you can be generous with your thanks when they have done something kind for you.
   
   
2. Speak with kindness. Let your children learn kindness by hearing you speak kindly to others—to them, to your partner, to people on the phone. For example, you can ask how your spouse’s day went without listening to their response, or you can ask and really want to know. You can even be kind to telephone solicitors. It takes much less energy to say, "No thank you, I think I’ll pass on that," and hang up (without waiting for a response!), than it does to get angry and slam down the phone.
   
   
3. Notice when your partner and your children need encouragement, and give it to them. Encouraging someone is one of the kindest things you can do. We all can remember the devastating effect it can have when someone tells you that you won’t be able to do something, you aren’t big enough or smart enough or strong enough. The opposite is also true. Telling someone you believe in them--that they are big enough or smart enough or strong enough to do the thing they dream of doing--can have a hugely positive effect on them. Remember, you can never over-encourage anyone.
   
   
4. Be courageous. Learn to say "no" to your family before you reach your limits. If you need to learn how to say no without hurting other people’s feelings, take a look at Margot Silk Forrest’s famous list of "42 Ways to Say No." Request a copy by clicking here.
   
   
5. Request kindness. Simply let your partner and your children know how important it is to you to be treated with kindness.
   
   
6. Be kind to yourself. Even if you are an exhausted single working parent, give yourself at least one gift of kindness each day. Take time to sit down and drink a cup of tea or a glass of wine. Read a few pages of your book or your favorite magazine. Take a short walk. Listen to some music you love. Spend a half-hour writing in your journal or doing your hobby. Take a hot bath. Do something that feels good, soothing, and renewing. Being kind to yourself is the key to being kind to your family. It gives you the energy to give to them, and it sets a wonderful example for your children.
   

Want to know more about using kindness to improve your life?
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LIVE KIND. CHANGE THE WORLD!