LAFAYETTE, La. — So it's National Do Something Nice Day. I'm here at my old alma mater, St. Genevieve Elementary. Some wonderful kids and wait--someone's coming my way, and I think she's going to do something nice.
"Would you like some water?" asks the third-grader.
"I'd love some," I answered. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," she responded.
Being nice to people isn't all that difficult, explains these third-graders. In fact, there are tons of easy-to-do examples. "Doing something nice is like, say someone doesn't have a friend to play with. You can go play with them, and invite them to go play with your friends, too," says Amelie Angelle.
And throughout the day, the kids show me the way.
Letting someone move in front of you while in line."Hey, would you like to get in front of me?"
Etiquette and helping others. "Having good manners and saying 'yes, ma'am' and 'no, ma'am' and like if someone falls you help them up."
St. Genevieve's Catholic teachings and picking up your classmates. "Always share God's spirit and help people when they're down on the ground."
Amelie had another. "Like say they don't have a snack. You can share your snack with them."
Being polite works. "Let me get the door for you." "
Offering a friendly ear. "It looks like you're having a bad day. If you need to talk, i'd be glad to listen."
And how about a compliment? That's something nice. "That story in tonight's Spirit of Acadiana," I say. Then came thunderous applause. "That's a compliment. Thank you."
How about helping someone with a project, suggests Alex Simon. "Say somebody's trying to build a Lego build, and it's really difficult for them. And you're actually good at Legos. You could probably go and help them."
Standing up for your friends. "If someone's bullying another person, you tell that bully to stop."
Kindness works. "You can be kind to the bully and maybe he'll be kind to other people."
Papers and books fall to the floor. "Here, let me help you."
What if someone needs a reminder? "They forgot something you can help them with something, help them study."
Why is this important? Amelie responds. "It's important because it makes you feel good and makes them feel good for the rest of their day."
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