How to Teach Girls They Don’t Have to Be Nice


Olde Hornet

Well-Known Member

There’s one thing I want to tell my daughters as they start the new school year: You don’t have to be nice.

It feels heretical to write this. My husband and I try to raise our girls to be kind. “No matter what,” I remind them repeatedly, “be kind.” The note on my daughter’s teacher’s door reads: “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” —Dalai Lama. There’s even a banner outside their public elementary school proclaiming it a Kindness Zone, an idea inspired by the bestselling kids’ book Wonder. The novel, which premiers in November as a much-anticipated movie of the same name starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, has spurred conversations about inclusivity in classrooms across the country and made kindness cool again.

I love that.
 
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