Kindness

I often think about the kind of people I want my boys to be.

Honest.

Authentic.

Polite.

Generous.

Trustworthy.

Kind.

All of those traits listed above are important to me, but if I had to teach my boys one thing it would be kindness. To treat others the way that you want to be treated. To be kind even when others are not. To stick up for the underdog. That words can hurt or heal.

Ben and I try our best to model this behavior for them believing that we should lead by example. We talk with Drake about how he should be kind to his friends and his brother. That he needs to be careful of the words he chooses and that a hug can make somebody's day.

That is why these past few weeks have been eye-opening for me. I have never seen so many unkind, vicious, and hurtful things said as I have in the weeks leading up to and the week following the election. Words that are said with the protection of a screen between you and the person you attack. Words that hurt. Words that are unkind.

And then I read story after story of the acts of kindness that are taking place in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The people who have traveled far to lend a helping hand. The boxes of food that have been donated to feed the hungry. The people who have opened up their homes to their neighbors to charge their electronics. Pure and perfect kindness.

Just like everything else in life, kindness is a decision. A decision that I hope that my boys don't even think twice about. Because they know kindness is the right choice and they just do it.