I’m going to start this post with a little bit of honesty: I am far from the most compassionate person out there. For those of you who know me personally you know that compassion is not a strong suit. I have no problem admitting this fault either. It’s something I’ve tried to work on as I’ve gotten older. It’s tough to teach an old dog new tricks. Sorry for the cliche but it seemed appropriate.

Ok. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way we can dive into the topic of kids and compassion. Even though I struggle with compassion I hope that my children won’t. Whether it’s now, tomorrow, or 10 years from now; I want Tony and Enzo to be compassionate people. I want them to have compassion for each other, for their parents, for their friends, their teachers, the rest of their family and all those they encounter in life.

It can be difficult to teach compassion. It’s almost impossible to teach compassion. At least that’s one man’s opinion. The best way to teach your child to do something is to exhibit the behavior you wish them to emulate. I know I’ve already said I’m far from a compassionate person. Despite this, I do my best to show compassion when necessary around my boys.

I truly believe that Tony and Enzo are compassionate children. Whether or not they take this honorable trait with them in life is up to them as they grow older.

So, if I am not as compassionate as I should be, how are the boys learning this trait? For one, they see it daily from their mother. They see it from their grandparents. They see it from their incredible teachers at St. Charles.

We have been seeing Enzo grow and learn and change right before our eyes of late. He still struggles with being told ‘no.’ He still has trouble sharing at times. He still pouts when he doesn’t get his way. Hey, what four-year-old doesn’t struggle with all of these things every now and then? But, one thing we have noticed is how compassionate he’s become.

Tony was home sick from school Friday and didn’t feel good again on Saturday. Enzo was worried about his big brother. Before Enzo left for school Friday morning he made sure he gave Tony a hug, without being told to do so by an adult, and told Tony to feel better (also without being provoked).

Both Friday and Saturday night saw Enzo come down from their bedroom to talk to Mommy and Daddy. His biggest concern was that he didn’t want Tony to be sick. He worries about his big brother. He cares about his big brother. He told everyone at school Friday that his brother Tony was home sick.

As we’ve watched Enzo grow into a kind, loving, and compassionate kid we’ve been seeing it from Tony for a couple of years now. Maybe that’s where Enzo gets it from instead of me.

It makes sense.

Tony has been our little love bug going on seven years now. Tony worries. Tony cares. Tony loves. Enzo sees it. Enzo looks up to Tony. Tony has been an incredibly compassionate child for a long time. Nicole’s compassion obviously rubbed off on Tony. Now it’s rubbing off on Enzo.

Now that I’ve said all that, what do I want the boys to remember from their childhood? What do I want them to see when they eventually read this blog? For starters, I want them to remember that you can be a compassionate person no matter your age.

This world needs more compassion.

This world needs more love.

This world needs more children who look out for one another, who take another child by the hand at school or on the playground when scared, who include others in activities without being told, who have compassion for others when they hurt.

This world needs more adults who show their children to be compassionate.

I know I have a lot of work to do when it comes to showing compassion. I admit it. I am working on it. Why? Not so much for myself, but for my children. I want them to be compassionate. I want them to care for someone when they are hurting.

Tony and Enzo see compassion from their mother. They see compassion from their grandparents. They see compassion from their teachers. I want them to see compassion from me. I want them to be compassionate, loving, and empathetic children, teenagers, and adults.