Being kind means responding to the needs of others -- and people can be kind, no matter how old or how young we are.

A mother recently wrote to tell us she had just discovered something about our Neighborhood of Make-Believe stories. She had been wondering why we would introduce "troublemakers," such as King Friday XIII with his demands and controlling ways, and Lady Elaine Fairchilde with her selfish and mischievous nature. One day as she was watching our "Neighborhood" program with her children, it occurred to her that, by seeing how the "neighbors" handled those difficult characters, she was learning how to handle the difficult people in her own life -- often through something as simple as kindness!

Society's Stresses

Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like, if each of us offered...as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person. There have been so many discussions about the lack of courtesy, impatience in today's world, "road rage," "airplane rage," and even "restaurant rage!" Maybe we shouldn't be surprised. Look around in your neighborhood or workplace, and you're likely to find many people who feel severely pressured: parents and grandparents who are juggling work and family needs, struggling with economic constraints, families moving away from their loved ones.

Society is asking so much of caregivers in today's world: "make sure children are safe and healthy," "develop routines," "set limits," "read to the children each day," "use positive guidance," "give them developmentally appropriate activities and playthings," "help all the children in your care feel secure and loved!" All that added to other things we're already doing in our lives! Many adults feel that they are falling short in one -- if not all -- of the "assignments" of their lives; they often feel that they are failures.

Doing the Best that We Can

Well, people are not failures when they're doing the best they can. If caregivers are managing to cover most of the important bases most of the time, they have every reason to feel good about who they are and what they're doing. Sometimes all it takes is one kind word to nourish another person. Think of the ripple effect that can be created when we nourish a child -- or a parent or grandparent, teacher or childcare provider. One kind empathetic word has a wonderful way of turning into many!

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