Letters to the editor can be submitted to news@chronline.com.
I’m sure that most of us consider kindness a shared value and want to instill that value in our children. Following the mandate to wear a mask in public is an act of kindness: my mask helps protect you and your mask helps protect me. While not perfect, it’s one more action to help protect the vulnerable and stem the spread of COVID-19.
What are our children learning when their parents, neighbors, county commissioner, or local sheriff selfishly talk about “their” own right to decide at the expense of others? When the children of our community return to school this fall, they will be asked to wear masks. They will bring with them the actions and attitudes of the significant people in their lives. Will that be a “me first” attitude or a concern for others?
School personnel work hard to promote kindness, respect, and concern for others, as well as guiding children through a myriad of safety procedures.
When schools reopen, teachers and staff will have a greater challenge to deal with masks, hand washing, and social distancing, while still developing a cohesive community of students that can learn together, play together, and care for each other. Each of us has a responsibility to examine our own role in forming the behaviors and actions of our community of children and set an example in our words and actions as we send them off to school. Kindness counts!
Bonnie Blake
Chehalis
