A little while back, I read an article (probably linked from one of Mrs. Bee’s link roundups!) that suggested that instead of asking your kids, “What did you do at school today?” you should ask, “How were you kind today?” Personally, I always hated it when my parents asked me what I did in school as I just listed off a litany of tests (followed, inevitably, by the question “how did you do on it?”), so I loved this alternative question. More importantly, we want to ensure that our kids know that we value kindness above all else and truly want to foster a servant’s heart.

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About a year ago, when Lion was about 2.5 years old, I started asking him how he was kind that day. Of course, he didn’t quite grasp the question right away, so Mr. Dolphin and I would give examples of how we were kind in our daily lives. We explained the concept of kindness and gave examples of the types of kind things that Lion could do for others. While I do think that Lion is naturally very kind–he is great at sharing and is great at reading emotions–asking this question daily keeps kindness on his mind.

Over the last several months, Lion has started asking Mr. Dolphin and I much more often how we were kind. Sometimes, it is the very first question Lion asks me when I pick him up from school, often because he is bubbling with excitement and wants to tell me about the kind gesture he made that day.

Here are some of the things Lion has told us about:

  • “I was kind because N was sad and I gave him a hug.”
  • “I helped Panda put his socks on.”
  • “I taught Panda how to use the scooter and bicycle.”
  • “I helped N get up when J pushed him down.”
  • “When P was sad, I played superheroes with him so that he wouldn’t be sad anymore.”
  • “E didn’t have anyone to play with, so I went and played with him.”
  • “I opened the door for you, Mama!”
  • “I shared my stickers with Panda.”

Even Panda has gotten in on the game. Yesterday, when I picked him up, his teacher was telling me how helpful and sweet he is. Later on, Lion was talking about how he was kind and Panda jumped in and said, “I help C! I help C!”

My hope is that Lion and Panda will understand how much we value kindness and will always seek out the opportunities to serve, be kind and charitable. And so, every day we ask, “How were you kind today?”