Teach our children to be generous, especially in forgiving and forgetting.
"Why should I forgive Sue, after all, she's done to me?"
Reading that, who did you imagine in your mind? A young child refusing to share her toys with her ex-best friend, a scorned lover, or perhaps a disgruntled employee complaining about her colleague?
** As educators, we often encounter Children who simply refuse to give or share.
"Jacklyn, we have to take turns and share our toys."
"I don't want to. Why do we have to take turns? It's my toy!"
"Well, that would make your cousin very happy. Don't you want to see him happy?"
"No, I don't care whether he's happy or sad."
At this juncture, some Teachers or Parents may feel that Jacklyn is cold or perhaps cruel.
But that's rarely the case. She simply hasn't learnt about 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 yet. Let's try another explanation,
"Jacklyn, you like your cousin's teddy bear very much. If you share your toy cars with him, he'll let you play with his bear too!"
Sometimes, it's more effective if we help people see how being generous ultimately creates a win-win situation for everyone.
** Coming back to "Why should I forgive Sue?"
I hope that this reaches someone who needs it:
"Forgive and forget, not for Sue, but for yourself. People are much more likely to help a generous person, over a vengeful one. Good things come so quickly into your life when you open your heart."
It took me a long time to realize that being generous to others, was also being kind to myself.
Do you believe in generosity, and has it served you well?
