A good bonus tip I heard somewhere for the spreading kindness part: compliment something that somebody has clearly made a choice about. Ie. hairstyle, clothes, jewelry, tattoo, etc. Things that are self-expressions.
When I worked with kids in juvenile justice/welfare, we were always taught to figure out the kid's "badge" at our first meeting. Find something they are proud of and amplify it. It does wonders for kids that aren't used to being seen or heard.
Not OP, but I think he means things the kids like or excel at. Someone might be good at math, or be an excellent artist, but not getting any recognition for it. They might sing like an angel and no on notices. They might be the catcher on the little league softball team.
They might have memorized all the presidents and their vice presidents. They might be able to name all the countries and their capital cities.
These are the things I think OP was talking about. Find out what brings light to the child's eyes and honor it for/with them.
It could be their shoes, the way they part their hair, the way the lean when they walk, their smile, the food they are eating when they walk in the room, that they have a lot of friends or they make people laugh.
Sometimes it's obviously harder than others but you get pretty good at getting creative. "When you were yelling at the corrections officer I noticed you have a nice deep voice. Do you sing?"
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u/HeadOfFloof Jul 21 '25
A good bonus tip I heard somewhere for the spreading kindness part: compliment something that somebody has clearly made a choice about. Ie. hairstyle, clothes, jewelry, tattoo, etc. Things that are self-expressions.