Instilling Kindness

One of the things I want to install in my kids is kindness. I think kindness comes above any kind of triumph. Kindness to each other and to everyone around them. They aren't kind all the time by any means, in case I'm coming across as a naive fool, but I like to think that the manners and the kindness I'm constantly drilling into them is starting to become part of them, like second nature.  My mum did that to me and Craig's mum did that to him, so we are passing it down, along with always feeling guilty when you see a policeman and never taking the last piece of cake.

On Monday Daniel decided to have a hot lunch at school which is a rarity because he's such a picky eater. He decided on a hot lunch because it was his favorite: pizza. That night I asked him how he'd enjoyed it and he said he didn't eat any. When I asked why he said there was only one piece left and he didn't want someone else going hungry.  I was gobsmacked. He didn't eat lunch! But then his motives make me so proud.

Then today I got a text message from the Principal with this picture, telling me how awesome my boy is. He dropped chess club during his lunch hour because his friend David missed playing with him.

I'm so proud of them both that I just had to document it here, so sorry if it comes across as smug. We have a lot of things going on that's not so woopty-doo believe me. 

Tonight I took Jack out, just me and him, to have some quality time together. He told me last weekend that he needs me to himself sometimes, so we went to a Halloween shop, a pet shop and to the movies to watch Planet of the Apes 2. He ate a huge tub of popcorn and snuggled under my armpit during the scary bits. It was great.