Have you ever felt like you were a target? Maybe you were misunderstood. Maybe you don’t feel like you did anything wrong. Or maybe you know that you are guilty. Or maybe it was a little of all of these.

If you’ve ever felt this way—or if you’ve ever made someone else feel this way—pause for a moment and I want you to think about this:

Kindness Matters! BE KIND!

You might be thinking, Why should I be kind? They’re not kind to me. Why do they deserve it?
And if you’re the one being unkind and believe it’s justified, this is for you too.

Here are some important facts about kindness:

Participating in acts of kindness releases oxytocin, a natural hormone linked to heart health. It helps lower blood pressure and reduces stress.
Witnessing kindness encourages others to be kind too—kindness truly is contagious. (Pay it forward.)
Kindness boosts mental health, helping reduce anxiety and depression.
Kindness can make life longer, healthier, and more satisfying.

Kindness isn’t weakness. Kindness isn’t permission for others to mistreat you. Kindness can literally save lives—sometimes even your own.

What are some easy ways to show kindness?

It can be as simple as a smile. I know that when I’m having a rough day, a smile from a stranger can make me feel better. What about giving someone a compliment—especially someone who looks like they’ve been through the wringer?

My daughter’s favorite kind thing to do is to pay for the person behind us in the drive-through. You could help a mother with a screaming child, or hold the door open for someone. There are so many small things you can do that can mean so much to another person.

Being a mother is a tough job. It’s chaotic. It can be lonely. And when we finally get the chance to step away for a little while, we hope to be surrounded by positivity and support. We need to ban together instead of tearing each other down.

Too often, instead, we encounter mom cliques. If you don’t fit the personality, the lifestyle, or if your children aren’t perfectly polite, quiet, or clean all the time—you’re out.

There is nothing more heartbreaking than being at a “mom” event, or even spending time with a group of moms, and still feeling completely alone. Worse yet is the feeling that you’re being talked about behind your back, judged, or even quietly rooted against—like others are waiting for you to fail.

No one signs up for motherhood expecting this kind of isolation. And no one should have to feel unwelcome in a space meant for support.

As mothers, we also need to remember that our children are always watching. We are their roadmaps. We are their first examples of how to treat others—especially those who are different from us.

That’s a heavy responsibility.

It becomes even harder when someone is unkind to us. The natural instinct is to retaliate, to match their energy, to protect our pride. And honestly, being mean can feel easier than being kind—because kindness sometimes requires humility. It may require admitting we were wrong, or choosing grace over ego.

But the lesson we model matters. BE KIND!

BE KIND…