Rising Kind Kids

Every day I go to work my faith in the future of this world is tested. I come in contact with some of the most rude and obnoxious children you could ever imagine. I’ve been cursed at by an eleven year old. I’ve been given attitude about everything under the sun. I very rarely hear a please or thank you.

As I shake my head and wonder what is wrong with the world I also wonder where has common courtesy  gone?

But I’ve found a few glimmers of hope sprinkled in. I’ve found a few young people whose parents are clearly doing a good great job in raising kind kids. I’d like to share a few heartwarming stories with you.

A couple months ago Cameron was invited to a classmate’s seventh birthday party at a super cool location. Thankfully it was a little boy so I knew I’d have no problem finding a cool gift he’d love and Cameron had some ideas of his own too. When I looked at the invitation it said that in lieu of gifts to please bring nonperishables for the local food pantry.

My first thought was, smart parents! Who wants a truck full of new toys coming into the house? I don’t know about you but I have enough crap the kids don’t play with, I don’t need any more.

It wasn’t until later that I found out it wasn’t even the parent’s idea. This thoughtful young man came up with the idea all on his own because he wanted to help people in his community. He told his parents that the party was enough of a gift for him.

WOW! I didn’t know seven year olds knew how to turn down birthday gifts.

Next up is a ten year old boy.

We raffled off a three foot tall, ten pound chocolate bunny to raise money for the Good Kids Campaign at work. Everyone wanted a piece of that bunny and every kid who walked in the door had sweet dreams of winning it.

Well, a ten year old boy won the coveted chocolate bunny. It was what he decided to do with it that makes him a kind kid.

He donated his prize to the local Ronald McDonald house so the families of sick kids could enjoy it at their Easter celebration.

I’m not sure I could have parted with that bunny without so much as a nibble and he used it to brighten the day of families who could use a little brightening.

Talk about a great kid.

Teenagers are often surly and many of them are selfish. They can’t help it, it’s just their nature. They don’t call it teenage angst for noting.

Just this week I came across a fourteen year old young man who went above and beyond to help a perfect stranger.

This young man was at the desk with his mother taking care of some business when a women who didn’t speak English came up. We were having a difficult time figuring out what she needed and how we could help her when he stepped in to translate for us.

It didn’t stop there though. She wanted a membership application but was unable to read it. He took her to one of the tables and sat down with her to help her fill it out. This wasn’t his problem, he didn’t have to do anything, he could have just gone to the gym to shoot some hoops. But he didn’t! He took time out of HIS play time to help someone else.

It’s kids like these three gentlemen who help me to believe that the world might be OK. It’s clear to me that somewhere along the line their parents did something right to have such kind kids. Kids who think of others before themselves and who want to make a difference in the world around them. All three of these acts came as second nature to the kids, they didn’t even have to think twice and in my book that makes them special.

Have you witnessed the kindness of kids in your life?