April 20, 2024

Quote of the Week

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention." -- Kahlil Gibran

The True Power Of A Family Kindness Practice

"Kindness has been in the news a lot lately.

Who doesn't love the "be kind" message? It feels good to do good. Intuitively, we know kindness makes our communities stronger. Discovering that it also better prepares our children for a meaningful life, reduces stress, and heightens emotional bonding just makes it better. But we need to go beyond sharing kindness in our news feeds or packing our birthdays with 30-something acts of kindness.

We need to make kindness an unavoidable part of family life. As indispensable as brushing teeth. In short, we need to practice.

I've mentioned before that my own family's commitment to compassion waxes and wanes a bit. I'm okay with that. Energy waxes and wanes a bit. Our time commitment to various hobbies and activities waxes and wanes. Our practice of kindness pulls us back.

My family of five has engaged in a weekly kindness practice for nearly five years, through toddlerhood, the birth of our third baby, and a major relocation. Some days, I find myself embarrassed talking about the things my family does; the everyday acts of kindness we take on are often so small.

We have not radically transformed our lives. We have not forsaken all consumer practices for a life of unabashed generosity. We don’t travel the country in search of need, though there are days when I imagine these things for us. Some days all that we aren’t doing breaks my heart.

But as Hale says, I will not refuse to do the something I can do, simply because I cannot do everything.

So we practice. Each week. Each day."

Read this week's featured article from "Doing Good Together", which shares the importance of a daily kindness practice and the role it plays in the family's evolution.

Reading Corner

Title: The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess
By: Tom Gauld
Ages: 3+

"Reading like a classic fairy tale, this enchanting story of a brother and sister helping each other reminds us to start with kindness at home. In the end, additional help is needed!" -- Doing Good Together

Be the Change

Doing Good Together offers an incredible resource to families wanting to explore integrating kindness into their lives -- a Big-Hearted Families Toolkit! It's an amazing collection of articles, activity ideas, book recommendations and family practices to support grown-ups and kids alike in developing their kindness muscles.

The toolkit offers an abundance of materials to support your journey through four steps:
1. Nurture Daily Habits
2. Read Widely, Together
3. Start Kind Conversations
4. Volunteer Together

Dive into the toolkit with your family this weekend and if you prefer to start small, have a look through this inspiring list of 50 Meaningful Family Acts of Kindness That Teach Compassion!