Kindness Is What Matters

When I was a child, my exasperated father would often say to my sister and myself (usually at the top of his lungs), "I don't care which one of you is right and which one of you is wrong. It doesn't matter! What matters is who is being KIND!" And then generally we were ordered to stay on our own side of the car backseat and look out the window. As a kid, I found this very annoying. I just wanted a ruling. I didn't want a life lesson. Today, however, I realize how right my father was, and I find myself repeating his words to myself and to my own children. What matters is who is being kind.