Encouraging Compassion
Ever wonder why kids grow up thinking they're the center of the Universe and you are just one of the background props meant to spring into action at their beck and call? Well you ain't alone people. I mean, sure, my kids say their pleases and thank-yous, but should that be all I should expect? Am I the eternal, loony optimists that wants them to occasionally ask me how my day went, offer to bring me an ice cold tea, massage my feet and feed me grapes? Okay, scratch the last too, but really! So I'm trying a little experiment to make them more aware of how they treat others. Sorta hoping they become more other-directed. I'm hanging a big-ass piece of butcher paper on one of the doors. Then I'm assigning a colored marker to each kid. (They don't get to choose because, even as teenagers, they'll do a throw-down for their favorite color.) Then, whenever they pay a compliment, make a nice offer, or do something thoughtful to another family member, they write it on the paper with their marker. Oh, and they can't do the same thing to the same person each time, otherwise I'll be asked how my day went thirteen thousand times a day. And it has to be a mix of words and actions. It'll be clear at the family meetings whose color is sparse and whose is not. This way, they'll be more aware of how they treat others and see that, when they do, their lives are better for it. Not to mention the promise of some reward for the family when the butcher paper is full. Hmm, maybe I should set a font size limit too??