I pick up Kubla and his friend from preschool. His friend is a little sad. Something happened at school. Turns out another boy was excluding him.
“Kubla, what did you do when your friend was being picked on?”
Silence. I’m not sure he knows what I mean.
“Guys, who’s tougher, a Lion or an antelope?”
“A lion!”
“How many lions are there out in the pridelands?”
They think a bit, rewatching the Lion King in their heads. After a few seconds, “A dozen?”
“And how many antelope are there?”
“Millions.”
“What do the other antelope say when one of their friends is being eaten by a lion? Do they say, ‘Hey, look what’s happening to Gerald. Let’s get him, boys’? And then do they gang up and kick out the lions so they can graze in peace?”
Silence. I answer my own question. “No. They say, ‘Too bad about Gerald. Sure glad it wasn’t me.’ And then they keep on grazing. Well, you guys aren’t antelopes. You’re humans. And humans look out for their friends.”
We walk on in silence. The message sinks in. Soon they change the subject to dinosaurs. The pridelands are safe. The antelope are looking out for each other.
How do you teach your kids to stick up for their friends? Or to ask for help from friends when they need it?
In two weeks I’ll give a free Kidorable Umbrella to whoever makes my favorite comment and shares this post on the platform of their choice.
6th of a 9 part series, Super Hero Training
Here’s a link to the first post in this series
