The noise levels started off pretty loud to begin with but with each passing minute it was getting louder and louder. There was the teletubbies album playing in the background (on repeat), then came the snatching, the pushing and then the crescendo, the crying and screaming from both of my boys. Of course nothing particularly dramatic was going on, just that they both wanted the one black toy car in the whole house. It didn’t matter that there was a red one, a yellow one, a green one (you get the gist), right beside them. They both wanted the same one.
The way this scenario was playing out was kind of becoming the norm in our house and it was starting to concern me. I’ve always set my boys off to nursery with the mantra “have fun and be kind”. Of course there are lots of values to teach my boys but his one line seems to sum up most of how I’d like them to grow up. Have fun and enjoy life but always remember that kindness prevails.
Back at home though, it felt like I needed to do more to really help them understand what kindness really means. But kindness is such a big word. How can you teach them all the permutations of such a word?
In the book “What does it mean to be kind” by Stephane Jorisch, the author spends around 16 pages on different ways to be kind, from simply saying please and thank you to supporting people who are less fortunate that yourself. That’s a lot to take in for anyone.
So I went looking for some other ways to get across more of the "spirit" of what kindness is about and I found a great little short film: Dustin.
Honestly, I would never have thought that a film about a pug and a vacuum cleaner could have so much meaning but it really hits home. A little pug has his home environment turned upside down by the arrival of a vacuum cleaner and the film shows how he deals with it. The answer? With kindness! It’s a message about a lot of things I think; helping others out when they’re in need, always seeing the good in others, putting others feelings before our own. So give it a go on your little ones by clicking the link in the pic above. I did and yet again they loved it - especially my little one who absolutely adores dogs - it was a winner!
It's not necessarily the answer to my prayers of course, but I really love looking for ways to teach my kids certain values through things they are most engaged in and TV is one of them. So I figure, the more of this type of content they consume, the more the message should sink in!
Enjoy!
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