Playing together nicely at the library...two seconds before Maverick stole Archer's toy and ran away with it.

Okay, so It’s not like my kids are actually being tricked into kindness.

Kind of.

Maverick most certainly doesn’t understand what kindness is yet (he’s 16 months old). To be honest, we’ve been struggling with Archer in trying to teach Maverick kindness because the best way to teach is by showing him how to be gentle and loving. And all that Archer wants to do when his brother hits him or grabs his glasses off of his face is push. Or kick, or hit back.

He’s really not picky.

The first rule, before it found a more permanent home.

That problem aside, I was at Michael's last week shopping for Easter décor and found this cute little chalkboard sign. I already have some chalk markers, so it was perfect. Figuring out what to write on the sign and where to put it was a later problem.

Somewhere in the middle of telling Archer not to retaliate against his brother and telling Maverick not to bite/push/grab anyone or anything (including the dog), it came to me. The Rule of the Week!

It couldn’t hurt to have a reminder on our wall of the rules that we strive to follow and want to instill in our kids.

First up: Always be kind.

I’ve said it here! And I say it often. Lead with kindness. Be the example. Love your brother. Don’t kick him in the face because you want to do a headstand in the corner of the couch where he’s sitting and eating a snack.

True story.

Within a couple of days of writing out our first Rule of the Week, I learned that it was working.

Archer had had a tantrum (I cannot remember specifically what it was about. They’re aplenty these days.), and he had come around to me to say he was sorry for whatever silly thing he had just done. He was crying as I gave him a hug and he said something about how he just wanted to do what the sign said. It took me a second to understand what he was talking about through the tears, but then it clicked. Archer remembered that our rule was to always be kind, and he just wanted to follow it.

He is such a good kid!

I told him how proud I was of him and that I knew deep down he was a very kind person.

This has all made me even more excited to channel my inner crafty nerd and manifest positive rules in our house.

This week’s rule:

Trying to keep it fun.

Where the sign hangs in our kitchen. Guest-starring Eddie.

So what started as my desire to find a reason to hang a chalkboard sign in our house turned into a positive lesson for the kids. Whether they’re being tricked into being kind or not.

Stay crafty and casual,

Anya

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