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Quote of the Week
"As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way." -- Mary Anne Radmacher
Should You Reward Teens For Being Kind?
"Some days, you’ll find me reaching for Kleenex when I see a video of a teen being big-hearted and doing the right thing even when nobody’s watching. I’m unapologetic about my eyes welling up—it brings me hope to see a kid’s kindness and capacity to care for others. Like many parents, I hope my seven year old grows up to be a teenager with an abundance of empathy and courage to act for good.
For parents, are there strategies that can help nurture our teens’ compassionate instincts? A recent study explored this question. What can parents do to raise caring kids? This study can’t definitively answer that question, but the findings suggest that what parents do to nurture kids’ compassion early on in life may matter years down the road. In particular, you might want to reconsider using material encouragement to foster your teens’ kindness, because it does not seem to help teens deeply understand the value of selfless concern for others."
This week's featured article from Greater Good Magazine sheds light on how we can inspire teens to be kind even when nobody is watching, based on a 3-year study of teenagers in Spain.
Reading Corner
 Video of the week for Teens:
What is Kindness? Teens Respond
Ages: 11+
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation interviewed teens from a high school in the US to share what they think kindness is all about in their own words. They talk about how it can be challenging to be kind and cool at the same time, so sometimes teens will choose to be cool at the cost of kindness. The video shares helpful insights into learning how teens can be kind and cool at the same time!
Recommended by Kindful Kids Editors
Be The Change
Share these random acts of kindness specifically designed for teens with a teenager in your life and join them in doing one together this week!
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