kid reads: social and emotional intelligence

It's hard not to be disheartened by the news - especially that coming out of the Supreme Court and Ukraine right now - and to feel helpless or to spiral (such as: going backwards on women's rights sure feels like it's going to lead to going backwards on gay rights and more...). I feel like people will say, "Vote!" which I 100% have done, not to mention that there's no voting happening for a while here. What to do today? Besides finding organizations where I can financially help, sometimes I console myself with working harder at raising good humans who will grow up to be people who love others and do the right thing.

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This made me think of a few kid books I've really enjoyed reading aloud lately - they've all got great illustrations and text, sure, but even more they've got themes and lessons that help kids understand and develop things like inclusivity, emotions, diversity, and kindness. This kind of emotional intelligence, to understand their own emotions and be aware of/empathize with situations and feelings that others might have, and the social intelligence to understand that different isn't bad, that people live in different ways and have different struggles, but we're all deserving of the same love and security and rights and agency in making choices - all of this goes a long way toward making good humans... which we're really gonna need in the next generation to fix a bunch of wrongs here :(

For emotional intelligence: I particularly like how The Crayons' Book of Feelings is about identifying emotions but also shows that emotions can be mixed, and we can feel multiple things at one time. Stacey's Extraordinary Words is so well done, about politician/activist Stacey Abrams' first spelling bee, and just an enjoyable story to read in general. Lots of great lessons and themes in it about perseverance and self-worth and more; for the purposes of this roundup I especially appreciate how it shows her handling different emotions of anxiety, pride, disappointment - as well as navigating emotions of other kids and why they might treat her a certain way.

And for social intelligence: I appreciated the board book Families Can for its sweet illustrations and cute rhyming text, and especially for its celebration of families of all kinds, whether with single parents or immigrant parents or same-sex parents or multi-generational households. Inclusivity is so important, and starting kids out with the idea that families can look all kinds of ways seems like a great way to build this. Kindness Makes Us Strong is the cutest board book - pretty overt for little kids about how doing kind things like sharing and including others in our game makes the world better for everyone. A great foundation.

Finally, the book Saturday at the Food Pantry came to me by way of an *adorable* local shop when they did a fundraiser for a kid's food bank, and even though Hendrik thinks he's too old for picture books I still read it to him as it's so great at representing the realities and feelings of families that might need to use a food bank. Hendrik was part of a food drive for his school, collecting canned goods, which is wonderful to do - but thinking about who might need these and why and putting yourself in their shoes is a necessary step too. Another helpful thing in nurturing a social intelligence in my kids, I think, is seeing what concerns other kids' families might have; I really love that this book sends the message that "everybody needs help sometimes" and also that "everybody deserves a treat" - showing that there's nothing shameful or wrong about needing help, even if people who are seeking help might sometimes struggle with mixed feelings about it, and that we all deserve the same access to food, and even treats. 

p.s. one other unrelated way - except not entirely unrelated, because Stacey Abrams! - to feel a bit helpless at the moment: I heard an interview with a strategist who said that getting involved with politics at the state level is crucial right now, because if Roe is overturned it'll come down to the states. So if you live in a battleground state, donating/campaigning for your state representatives, or if you live in a "safe" state, adopting a battleground state to sign up for writing letters, donating to candidates, etc.