The folks at Highlights are truly kind. But when kids write to them for advice, they don’t get out the violins. They give the kids real-world, practical ideas for how to take action and change what’s bothering them, or, if that’s impossible, how to make peace with whatever it is and go forth stronger and more hopeful.
You’ll feel more hopeful, too, reading the new book, “Dear Highlights: What Adults Can Learn from 75 Years of Letters and Conversations with Kids.” I review it today over at Let Grow. Click here.
What kind of practical advice am I talking about?
A boy feeling lonely because his dad works nights was told: Why not do some chores together? You’ll have time to bond! A girl mistakenly accused of throwing a pinecone got the response: “Sometimes no matter how hard we try, we just can’t convince people of something.” (A lesson I must take to heart!)*
To a girl feeling her life just wasn’t as magical as the kids’ in Disney movies, Highlights wrote: “It’s very natural and sometimes helpful to draw inspiration from other people in our lives.” But, Highlights went on, we also tend to “overlook the fact that everyone has challenges, everyone has weaknesses and everyone works hard and has setbacks.”
By caring but refusing to coddle, Highlights helps kids press the re-set button. That’s quite a gift, and it’s all because the magazine’s founders and its staff to this day believe kids are smarter and more capable than our culture gives them credit for.
Sound familiar? Go read the review!
*I did NOT throw the pinecone.
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