Those are the words I send my kids out the door with each day. During the pandemic, those words often needed to be used when dealing with their siblings or with friends online. But are we as mothers using those same words? Children learn by what they see and by the examples they witness. Are we being good role models I ask myself and each of you?
Social Media’s Impact
The reminder to be kind seems to go along perfectly with today’s media environment. Media’s role in the lives of our children truly astounds me. Many homes have very little exposure to media in their day to day life while other’s have children using social media daily and still other families with everything in between. I fear for what they all see on social media but can’t believe the way we as adults treat one another in the same setting. Kindness has been thrown out the window and replaced with cruelty and almost hatred in the social media setting. And what is the end goal in this behavior towards another mother?
It is pretty apparent that with everything going on right now there are a million and one opinions on every topic. Educational choices, masks, vaccines, politics and the list goes on and on. We can all have an opinion, that is our right as citizens of this great country. We may not agree with someone else’s opinion and that’s just fine as well. But the complete disrespect I have witnessed by women toward other women makes me ill.
Just a little bit of kindness
If women aren’t being kind to women then what example are we setting for the children we are raising? Running to social media to rake another mother over the coals about her values serves what purpose? And this is where just a little kindness fits in so very well. We may not agree with that fellow mother in the pick up line at school. It’s okay to listen and respect her opinion and her to do the same for you. Differences are another thing that makes this country great. And the two of you as mothers are showing kindness towards one another in the most sincere way.
This concept won’t solve the world’s problems, I get that. But it will go a long way in helping our children to handle conflict resolution and differing opinions in day to day life. When the children of today see disagreements and arguments handled via social media, the world will suffer in the long term. Comments that can’t be made to one’s face don’t belong in the newsfeed of a Facebook account. And when all else fails, we can always ask, “Am I being kind?”
