Kids write letters asking Trump to "be kind"
People have been experiencing and expressing lots of different emotions about Donald Trump’s election. As a result, a Washington state mother thought it might be good for kids to have an outlet to process how they’re feeling about the president-elect. So she turned to social media.
To let kids know their actions can go a long way, Molly Spence Sahebjami started the Facebook group Dear President: Letters from Kids about Kindness. To say it’s caught on quickly would be an understatement.
The idea was simple -- Sahebjami invited kids to write letters to Mr. Trump telling him how he can be more kind.
“The power of this movement comes from the kindness and unity we can teach our children,” Sahebjami said on the group board. “This isn’t about policies -- it’s about high standards of basic human kindness that ALL parents can get behind.”
Carrie, a mom on the page who asked that her last name not be used, said her daughter Annie was excited to get involved.
“Being president requires making good decisions,” reads Annie’s letter. “Personally, I think blocking out people from other races isn’t a good decision.”
Annie details the races and religions of her friends, and explained that she plays with all of them.
“Above all, be kind to everyone no matter what,” Annie concluded.
“I try to let her know that there are good people, regardless of party affiliation,” said Carrie. “There are so many people out there working to make sure we have a world that is safe for children.”
From her letter, Annie seems to understand that well enough. She just wants to make sure her voice is heard.
“What we are teaching the girls [Annie and her sisters] is that you should throw your support toward the target,” said Carrie. “Don’t attack the attackers.”
Carrie and Annie aren’t the only ones who have been moved by the group.
On her page, Sahebjami notes that the group reached its 5,000 member mark just 18 hours into its existence. Sahebjami had to step in and explain that the goal of the page is to provide an outlet for children, not an outlet for parents to voice their political opinions.
“The words to remember as your kids write those letters to our President-elect and First Lady (and draw those drawings, and record those oprional supplemental videos) are “positive,” “kind” and “non-partisan,” said Sahebjami on the group’s page.
Seven-year-old Kela stood by that and kept it simple by compiling a “How to be nice” checklist Mr. Trump can follow:
To Mr. Trump,
How to be nice!
1. Say kind things like well done
2. Don’t blame other people when it is you doing the bad thing
3. Don’t lie
4. Don’t scream at people
5. Behave
6. Don’t tell people what to do
7. Have nice manners like say thank you and no thank you
8. Listen to other people
9. Don’t talk meanly
10. Don’t hurt people
11. Help people
12. Being different is COOL!!!
Warm regards,
From Kela (in the UK)
Age 7
“As parents and guardians, we have the ability to teach our kids about communicating productively -- with personal stories about why we believe what we do, and persuasive, inspiring words that can truly connect people and change minds,” said Sahebjami. “We have the ability to help them participate in our democracy.”
With such a creative outlet that will surely continue to grow, it will be exciting to see how more children contribute.
“This isn’t about policies -- it’s about high standards of basic human kindness that ALL parents can get behind,” said Sahebjami.
The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
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