If there’s one thing I wish my kids to learn, it would be to love.  I want them to learn to love not only themselves, but to love others.  There’s so much hate and fighting in the world.  I’d love for my kids to be a ray of sunshine, hope and joy in a space of despair.

We recently rented the movie Wonder because so many people had told me how powerful it was for helping kids learn about loving others who may look different then themselves.  As an occupational therapist, I work with many children who either act in unique ways or look different than the “norm.” It’s made me even more sensitive to raising my children to love others despite what ways they may act or how their bodies may look different.  I love the push for inclusion in schools, and that my daughter has a friend in her class who has Autism.  But even more than that….I love that she doesn’t seem as “different.”  She talks about him as a unique person, just like she’s unique than some of their other friends.

We was such a surprise that in our Kids Night In Box this month we received items all geared towards learning about those with unique abilities, such as being blind, paralyzed, or differently abled in another way. I LOVED the excitement my kids showed for learning, and yet it was also such an amazing night of spending intentional time with my kids.  The kids were able to ask questions about why someone may be blind, and how they would walk if they couldn’t use their legs.  They were able to simulate how it might feel.

How could we truly change the world if each and every one of us learned to love someone different then ourselves a little more?