How was recess today?

In our family, we've been working on kindness. And because we are focused on that, I get to hear about recess a lot.

You see, almost every night at dinner, my son says that recess was the best part of his day. And so I ask him why it was so great, and I ask him who he played with and I ask him what he might do differently at recess tomorrow.

I avoid asking him about homework or his spelling test or what he is learning in math.

I do all this, because I don't want him to think that I only value his grades and successes. I want to hear about who he played with so I can encourage his kindness toward others.

None of this is easy, by the way, because we have spent the last few days working on his spelling words or the special assignment that was sent home and I really, REALLY want to know how it went, but...he wants to talk about recess. So, we talk about that.

This is what makes it easier: Weirdly, when children believe that their parents are focused on kindness over achievement, the academics tends to take care of itself. I am not 100% sure how that works, but I'll go with it.

Do you focus on kindness over academics in your home? Tell me in the comments.