The Kindness Of Others
The opportunity to rely on the kindness of others is a great way to build your teen’s sense of connection to the world around them.
When you have a car, you never understand how difficult it is to plan something as simple as an errand to replace milk. If you have enough money for lunch, you never get to experience the amazing Pilipino food your co-worker brings; when your straight, you may not understand someone taunting you because of your sexual orientation as you walk down the street and the relief when you hear from a distant window,”lay one hand on his head and I will call the police!” Placing your teen in a position to be humble enough to ask for or need help, can only help them be better.
In the United States we are placed in a position to vote on measures and amendments or laws that affect the community we live in. We saw this recently with health care. If you have health care maybe you don’t care to pass the bill. “It’s a waste of money.” But if you don’t have health care and you have a chronic illness like asthma, diabetes, or cancer, you are praying that the the senators, etc. will vote to pass the bill.
By relying on the kindness of others, your teen learns how others struggle, survive and overcome. Your teen also learns how a simple thing like an act of kindness can make someone’s life easier, better. The empathy that comes from appreciating someone else’s position, or fom having been in that position is humbling. When the world your teen lives in surprises them with its kindness your teen will be forever changed.
Your teen’s cynicism is understandable given the short life they have lived. They have only known obligatory kindness, a parent’s love. You owe it to them to show them the kindness of others. So don’t rush to get them the car, let them travel to a foreign land on their own dime, and don’t rush to bail them out of a difficult situation. Let them experience the kindness of others for themselves. Don’t make them have to read about it and trust that it exists, let them know firsthand. This way they will be able to give it firsthand.
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