Remember how when we were kids it was all “I’m Thumbody!” and Saturday morning cartoon interstitials about being kind. And it seemed so corny and over the top.
And then we grew up, had kids, and sent them to school and holy cow it seems like all that corny stuff actually worked. I mean bullying is certainly still a problem, but at least for my kids, school was so dramatically different than I remembered: Kindness was no longer uncool. Kids complimented each other. They befriended kids with disabilities and showed them real acceptance. They cheered the uncoordinated kids when they tried to climb the rope. They made an effort to include the lonely kids. Every time I went to their school I was simply amazed. At first I thought it was just their magical elementary school, but they both moved on to different middle and high school and the kindness continued. Certainly there were hurt feelings and occasional nastiness, but by and large these kids were good to each other. Like the bullies of the world just get less oxygen now so far fewer act out.
I can’t help but wonder what Trump-style politics is doing to all this. Giving oxygen to the would-be-bullies is what. What a darn shame.
[This post brought to you by someone who watched Won’t You Be My Neighbor last night and is still thinking about it…]