Empathy doesn’t tend to come naturally to preschoolers. I don’t know about your kids, but the only walking-in-other-people’s-shoes that my girls do on a regular basis is the literal kind. As in, they like to put on my Dansko clogs and shuffle around the house in them. (It’s only a matter of time before someone sprains an ankle.)
For some time now, we’ve been trying to get them to understand and maybe even follow the Golden Rule. (a.k.a. Do unto others….) And this year in our UU church’s religious education program, the Golden Rule happens to be the theme. So the kids are hearing about it in the context of all kinds of stories and situations. Which I like. Because, after all, part of the reason we joined a congregation is to have life lessons and values imparted by means other than just our big, blabbering mouths.
So, the gals are getting Golden Ruled up the wazoo. But there’s a slight problem. See, they—well, wait. This calls for an Adorable Anecdote. ™
