Chaplain's Reflection 

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.   ( Galations  5: 22-23)  

We want many things for our children but most of us would settle for them being happy and successful. At school we want them to be accepted and to do well and, ultimately, to be well prepared for adult life. We sometimes forget the importance of kindness.  

Kindness is a personal value essential to our wellbeing. It involves noticing the needs of others and caring enough to give something of yourself to help them. It's hardly surprising that kind people make good leaders and valued friends. They are empathetic, influential and trusted. In fact, the practice of kindness helps us develop many qualities essential to our personal and professional success.   

Kindness is not a gift and it does not require skill or talent, but it does need practice and positive reinforcement. So, instead of telling our children that what matters most to us is their happiness, perhaps we should be saying what matters most is how kind they are to others. Let's teach them to be caring, generous and loyal, and remind them to be grateful. After all, kind people make the world a better place simply by being in it.