This led into a discussion where I asked them to think about how it might feel to be the only boy in the family, how it might be different to have two sisters in the house and always have to join in their play. Not only does our daughter have two brothers, but my sister's family lives close by and the kids are all like siblings. Their family? Three boys. Typically, Caroline holds her own in the group of 5 boys, but at times I'm sure it gets frustrating. We talked a lot that day about seeing things from someone else's perspective and what it meant to "put yourself in someone else's shoes". I then left the boys alone and asked them to do what they thought might be good in this situation. This is how it works with kids - some days they may have listened to me while rolling their eyes and after shrugging and smirking at each other, headed back downstairs to play. Sometimes they surprise you. And make you laugh.
After a few minutes, I heard heavy footsteps up the stairs followed by my daughter's laughter. I went up to find the boys prancing around in their sister's shoes, telling her they were sorry for how they treated her and were trying to understand how it felt to "be in her shoes".
After a few minutes, I heard heavy footsteps up the stairs followed by my daughter's laughter. I went up to find the boys prancing around in their sister's shoes, telling her they were sorry for how they treated her and were trying to understand how it felt to "be in her shoes".
Of course Caroline found it funny and appreciated the effort of the point being made. It made me think about how often we forget to think of things from another person's perspective and what else might be going on in a situation. A good reminder to get outside of ourselves and see the world a little differently from time to time.
