This year we will be kind.

January 6, 2015/324 Comments/in Blog /by Mariet

In December I asked all the children about their resolutions for the 2015. After getting sarcastic answers, (sarcasm is a native language in my home) I decided to make an universal decision for everyone. As a mother and dictator of this house it is my prerogative to make rules as and when I feel like it. To get my minions to abide with these rules might be another story, but I’m starting to ramble. Back to the 2015 resolution.

This year, in this house, We are going to be kind. Hopefully being kind at home will spill over into being a good human being but for now we are going to concentrate on being kind to everyone who lives under my roof.

I think the world can do with an extra bit of kindness and the best place to start is at home. There might also be a chance that I will end up with less children in the end of 2015 than what I started with if I do not teach them to be nicer to each other.

To make this concrete I made a list of things as examples on how to be kind especially for my kids, but you are welcome to use it.

1. Say Good Morning.

Say Good Morning to everyone in your family. This included your mom who is not a morning person, even if you know she hates everyone till she has her coffee. Say Good Morning anyway.

2. Say thank you.

Say thank you for everything, but especially say thank you every time someone makes the effort to feed you. Yes, even if it’s pumpkin that you hate and you think you might die if you have to eat it.

3. Before you tattle you have to say three nice things.

My little Cupcake has a problem with tattling. She loves coming to split on her sisters and then wait for the fireworks to start. Therefore we have a few rules for Tattling in 2015. If there is danger or someone is hurt you tell immediately. If that is not the problem you have to say three nice things about the person you want to split before you are allowed to tell.

4. Be a good sister/brother.

Friends change over a lifetime and someday your siblings will be the only people that will remember your history. Being a good sister or brother means that you are always on their side. I remember when someone was mean to Boo on the playground and Little Mouse came and shouted at them, even though she was half their size. Be the one your siblings can count on.

5. Be Kind with your words and actions.

I started this year saying: “If you are not going to talk to your principle at school like that you are not allowed to talk like that to anyone in this family.” Hopefully by the end of the year they would here my voice in their head before they open their mouths to say something mean.

Part of being kind as a mother is being kind to yourself. For me this means that in 2015 I will sometimes say no when people asks me to do things and I will stop trying to control everything. As an extra small kindness to myself I will drink 2 cups of coffee quietly in the kitchen before I go and wake everyone.

Here’s to a year of small steps on the road to kindness.

Small steps can lead to great things.