I overheard my children playing the other day. Sometimes I hear them say nasty things to each other, or get overly competitive, but that day, I heard my oldest say to a younger sibling, "That's very good. You're doing a good job. Now try to stack this one over here."
My heart melted. My eight-year-old was encouraging! Instead of a typical response like "Don't mess with my stuff!" or "Mine's better than yours" (which I do hear every now and then), my son was teaching, sharing, and praising.
It made me feel better about myself as a mom. For all my bad role-modeling, I'm glad to see that the good role-modeling is sticking. And I never (and I emphasize the never) allow my children to put each other down. TV and movies make it seem like a normal part of growing up, but I don't buy that. The home is a training ground, and if my children cannot be encouraging and loving to even those around them every day, how are they going to go out into the world and love their neighbors?
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