Millions of people across the globe joined Lady Gaga's Born This Foundation for this year's #BeKind21 challenge. We pledged to be kind to ourselves and our community for 21 days as we commit to making kindness a habit.
"Here at the end of these 21 days, I feel lighter, braver, and even more hopeful than before. That’s all because of you. Together, we cultivated a community of over 6.8 million people pledging to over 143 million acts of kindness. My heart is so full reflecting back on what we’ve been able to accomplish as what my daughter refers to as the “global kind community.” -- Cynthia Germanotta
We sent out 500 kindness kits in our community alone. The growing turnout for #BeKind21 is a reminder of our collective strength and resolve to create a braver and kinder world for all in 2021 and beyond.
As we wrap up this year’s campaign and continue our commitment to kindness, we want to highlight some of the parents, community leaders, and wellness experts who made time to share their inspiring insights, stories, and tips with our community throughout #BeKind21.
Tips For Teaching Kindness From Within
"You can teach a child to be nice, but it doesn't make them kind and it can be very performative. So what does kindness actually mean from you as a person versus just doing these things that are performative, but have no value to you?"
Looking for tips on how teach kindness to your little ones? @afterhourswithamanda shares how she inspires kindness in her little ones.
Check out our great conversation here!
Being Kind To Yourself: Mental Heath For Moms
Expert advice from @kateborsato, therapist and educator for pregnancy, postpartum, and early motherhood.
"-just think about the opposite of the stress response is your relaxation response. We have to turn the relaxation response on, on purpose. It doesn't just happen."
Watch the full conversation to learn more about anxiety in early motherhood and tips for coping with stress.
Looking for more help? Check out our list of free professional resources for parents and children.
Our Community Shares Their Commitments to Kindness
Julie Rosati @penelopecristin
Kindness is sharing the best parts of our hearts with those around us.
We are team kind over here, reminding our girls to share and that kindness starts at home.
No matter how small of an act of kindness, a little kindness goes a long way.
Courtney Servantes Downs @mamas_triplet_love
Kindness is something that we teach and talk to our triplets about on a daily basis. We praise them for their small acts of kindness - sharing toys, helping each other up after they fall, giving hugs and kisses just because - the more we spread kindness as their parents, the more kindness they will share.
The amazing thing about KINDNESS is that it is absolutely free! It costs you nothing to be kind.
The last 18 months have turned everyone’s world upside down. People have not seen their family and friends, people have been secluded, sadly, people feel lost. We make it our mission to say hi and smile to everyone we make eye contact with while hiking, taking walks, hanging at the beach, etc.
Our kindness has rubbed off on our triplets, they now wave and say hi as well. This small gesture of kindness can simply change the entire direction of a person's day.
Honestly, what is sweeter than these cuties telling you hi and smiling at you on a bad day?
Peyton Allen
Friendship
2020 was a tough year, especially when raising littles. The isolation was almost unbearable at times, and keeping our kids away from others left them without vital childhood interactions.
Brooklyn and Ella met a few months ago and instantly became best friends.
Ella’s mom and I had both been teaching our girls to be kind to themselves, their toys, etc., and now we get to watch them become friends and show one another kindness. Ever since they met, we’ve been teaching them the value of friendship. They FaceTime one another and use kind words to converse. There are always lots of hugs, and they walk hand in hand when together.
I’m so grateful that Brooklyn and Ella have found such kind and loving friends in one another.
Being Kind to the Earth
Protecting and being kind to the planet is vitally important and it’s our job as parents to teach our kids how to do so. I grew up gardening and wanted to share my love of gardens with Brooklyn, so I chose to plant some flowers with her.
Brooklyn loves planting flowers, and I’m so grateful we can bond over making our planet beautiful and being kind to all living things in nature.
