Time to get back to the basics

It’s time to get back t o the basics. In light of the recent displays of bad behavior by celebrities, it seems like we need a refresher course in the “keys of kindness”. As an early childhood educator, I am always amazed how the principles I teach my 4 and 5-year-old students, as well as my own children, really apply to the greater world. While much of the focus in on making sure the youth of America is getting a lesson in getting along, It’s the adults who need to work on their “please and thank yous” and remember to “please wait patiently”.

For example, Sunday night at the MTV VMA awards, Kanye West storms on stage and interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for “best female video” because he thought Beyonce should have won. Kanye, did you ever hear the phrase, “ you get what you get and you don’t pinch a fit”, or “life isn’t always fair”, or “you can’t always get what you want”? Instead, he throws a fit like a 2 year old, because things didn’t turn out the way HE wanted them to. It seems like Kanye needs to go back to kindergarten and relearn these things.

Or how about Serena Williams at the U.S. open? She was losing the match and when a call she didn’t agree with was made, she storms over and unleashes a string of expletives at the poor line judge. Serena, did you ever see the movie Bambi, where Thumper’s mother tells all the woodland creatures, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all?” I understand that it can be frustrating to lose a match, but like my mother always said, “there is nothing worse than a sore loser.”

I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the moment, but it seems like, the world has gotten a little more self-centered. But not all celebrities are like Kanye and Serena. I watched Taylor Swift on the View this morning and she could’ve gone on and on about how she missed her time to shine at the VMA’s. But she didn’t. She was classy and composed and she is only 19!!!! Obviously, she remembers the “keys of kindness.”