Kindness Challenge

For the last few years, I keep wanting to have a project to help my kids grow in acts of kindness, love, and service. We do things like collect food to donate to the food pantry, write letters to our elderly neighbors (who aren’t neighbors anymore since we moved years ago), buy “Giving Tree” gifts for other children at Christmas time. Still, I want to do more, have it become something so natural to them that they can’t help but spread kindness all year long.

Blessed Mother Theresa, one of my heroes, lived kindness. She said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.” This is what I want for me, for my kids, for our whole family. The world changes through kindness. We’re here to change the world (and we have enough children to do a pretty good job of it!). Blessed Mother Theresa has also said that we can’t do much good if we don’t start in our own homes first.

That’s what we’ll be doing this week. I saw a sweet idea pinned on Pinterest, and followed the link to the blog about 100 Acts of Kindness. These may be ideas found on a blog specifically for parenting toddlers, but the ideas work for any age. Leaving love notes around the house? We all can do that. Messages left on the mirror? Fun and kind wrapped into one sweet package. This week’s challenge with the blog is to love our family. Who’s in? You can’t go wrong by doing things to love your family.
We are going to be leaving little hearts around for each other this week, as well as send cards to friends who need a pick-me-up, and tonight we’re taking dinner to a friend who recently had a baby. Since talking yesterday to my crew about the project for adding more acts of kindness into our days, I’ve noticed them offering the last helping of favorite foods to others, my oldest noticed me coughing and brought a throat lozenge, my 4 year old offered to help mash the baby’s food. *That* is the best part, seeing them internalize kindness and thinking of how to be kind on their own initiative.
I hope you’ll think about adding a project like this to your family’s life. Even if you just try one thing each day, you’ll be amazed to see the transformation take place over days added up…Change the world, starting with one simple act, in your own home. 🙂