Olde Hornet
Well-Known Member
How to Teach Girls They Don’t Have to Be Nice
Of course I want my daughters to be kind—but that doesn’t mean they can’t stand up for themselves.
getpocket.com
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.