Spread smiles for World Kindness Day #smilehood

This post has been sponsored by Orajel™. All opinions are my own.

It’s been a tough week for a lot of people, and my social media channels have blown up with hateful comments and posts. It’s only fitting then that World Kindness Day is this Sunday.

When my son began attending his preschool, he would come home and talk a lot about having a kind heart. When I scold him, he often tells me I’m not being kind. If a 4- and 5-year-old can understand the concept of being kind, why can’t some 40- and 50-year-olds? Really, people of all ages should be able to understand this concept and World Kindness Day couldn’t come at a better time. It’s also a reminder that we need kindness every day – not just one day. 

We’ll be celebrating this day with small acts of kindness – but even the smallest acts can make the most difference. Little things such as:

1. Hold the door for someone.
2. Pay it forward. Buy a cup of coffee for the person in line behind you. (My husband and son tried to pay it forward to someone a few months ago and the person tried to reject it. Don’t be the person that rejects it.)
3. Let a car get into traffic in that busy road. Hopefully they’ll do the same later in the day.
4. Send a card to someone who could really use the uplifting note.
5. Call a family member or friend you haven’t spoken with in some time.
6. Let your child create a photo or craft for someone.
7. Say hello to a stranger.
8. When you see a mom struggling with the kids and the groceries and LIFE, offer a kind word.
9. Create a blessings jar…for someone else.
10. SMILE. Smile at a stranger. Smile at loved ones. Also, smiling makes you feel better.

My son created a blessings jar at his preschool and when he came home with it, I smiled at what he had in his jar – rocks, acorns and leaves. I mean, of all the things to put in that jar! But he loved it and he has held onto that jar for over a year. Wouldn’t it be fun to create a jar of nice things and pass it along to someone who could use that extra bit of kindness? (Think of chocolates, a gift card, a note to put in the jar.)

And smiles. Smiles are free! We should be giving them away as much as humanly possible. My 6-month-old gives the best smiles. We’re also preparing for her to have even better smiles as she begins to get teeth. For instance, we’re using the infant finger brush from Orajel to massage her gums, even though she doesn’t have the teeth just yet. Of course my 5-year-old isn’t left out of the smile game as we continue to work with him on brushing his own teeth. Smiles are important and you don’t want to have a sad one, right? Nor do you want a yellow one, teeth and gum health is important, especially if you’re going to be spreading positivity throughout your day. Smoking is the leading cause for unhealthy teeth and gums, if you’re a smoker and you’re looking to quit or cut your nicotine consumption down, researching into an online vape shop to finally put the cigarettes down is what your smile could need.

How will you celebrate World Kindness Day? Will you create a blessings jar to share someone you care? Or will you share a smile with a stranger? 

I’m excited to be part of the Orajel™ Smilehood community – a group of moms promoting healthy smiles and oral hygiene. I’ll be sharing my stories and tips over the next several months – and hopefully learning some new tricks and techniques as we navigate parenting an infant again. Read my previous posts about Keeping Smiles Sparkling, Preparing for Baby (and Teething), Caring for Baby Teeth and Gums and Be Prepared for Picture Day.