If you read or watch the news at all, you’d be forgiven for believing that this world is a harsh, scary place, full of evil people and dangers around every corner.  It’s easy to worry about what kind of world we’re bringing our children up in, and to think that we need to teach them to be tough and closed-off to keep them safe.  But I believe the opposite is true.  We need to teach our children to be strong, yes, but above all else we need to teach them kindness and love.

There’s a quote by L.R. Knost that I love that says:

“It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world.  It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless”

and I believe this with all my heart.  My son in particular is a sensitive child, and I don’t want him to have to change that about himself, I want him to use that part of him to reach out and make a difference to those around him.

There’s a movement that’s been gaining momentum over the last few years that’s all about carrying out random acts of kindness that I think is wonderful.  The beauty of it is that these acts don’t have to be huge, they don’t have to cost you anything, they don’t have to take up much of your time (although they can if you want to do it that way!), but they can have a big impact on someone else.

And that one random act of kindness, more often that not, leads to more, as that person is inspired to pay it forward and do something nice for someone else.

I read a lovely quote from Amelia Earhart that explains it beautifully:

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”

As parents we can really make a difference by modelling kindness for our children.  When they see us chosing love and kindness over indifference and selfishness then they will be much more likely to do the same.

So if you’re out and about with your children, look for opportunities to chose kindness.

It can be as simple as picking up another child’s dropped toy, or holding the door open for the Mum with the buggy struggling to get out of the shop.  It’s all about teaching our children to look at the world around them, and to think about other people.

You could then start to think up ideas together for random acts of kindess you can carry out.  You could plan to buy a few extra bags of duck food next time you’re at the park and hand them out to other children.  Or get your kids involved in sorting through their toys and seeing which ones they could donate to someone in need.  If you need inspiration then this list of 101 easy ideas for random acts of kindness should get you going!

Another campaign that’s been started this year is the #BeSelfless campaign, which asked people at the start of the year to abandon their usual new year resolutions in favour of choosing to carry out small acts of kindness throughout the year, which is a great idea because it’s win-win.

When we are kind towards others, they get a real happiness boost, and in turn so do we.  Doing nice things for other people gives us a great serotonin hit, which makes us feel happier and gives us an overall sense of general well-being.  Who wouldn’t want more of that in their lives?

And I know that making someone a cup of tea, or surprising them with a bunch of flowers won’t magically make this world perfect; but step by step, person by person, I’m certain we can make it better for our children.

We just need to keep chosing kindness and love.

 “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” – Aesop

This is a collaborative post.