Kindness Counts

CONFESSIONS OF A MUSIC MOM

Written by Mrs. Gray

It' s hard to believe that Kylie, my youngest child, will be starting kindergarten this fall. It seems like yesterday we were holding her as an arm baby, but now she ' s one year into her musical journey and on the verge of starting school. As you can imagine, I am experiencing all sorts of emotions as she embarks on this new journey. I am thinking, what can I give her that will equip her, and one of the things I feel is of importance is making sure that she understands the value and impact of kindness. Considering the rise in bullying, my husband and I want to make sure that I raise a kind child. In the eyes of some, this may be a minute, but kindness is impactful but is not always her first response. I was reading an article and according to Kelli Harding, M.D., empathy is hardwired in us from birth through what' s known as the mirror-neuron system, and we intuitively feel what others feel. I can see this in instances where my daughter witnessed another child fall on the playground and she immediately showed empathy through her words and body language. Whereas empathy is in us from birth, developing compassion be happens over time. kind! It came full circle for me one evening having dinner with our family. Her grandfather knocked over his drink but was able to quickly grab it before making a large spill. To my right of me, I heard my soon-to-be kindergartener ' s highpitched voice saying hahaha! It caught me off guard for a moment, is my toddler acting like a bully? Her father and I quickly corrected her behavior and explained that you treat others how you would want to be treated. We went on to say, " you wouldn 't want someone to tease you, so you shouldn 't do that to anyone else, let alone your grandpa, that was not kind. " Kylie understood that her behavior was inappropriate and she apologized. I share this story because as a parent, I am not only teaching her to be a great musician, but in the end, I want her to be a kind person. I want to be intentional about instilling values that will make her become the best version of herself!