As part of the school experience, my daughter’s elementary class celebrated a “Star of the Week.” This celebration allowed students to be recognized for their own uniqueness. They could bring pictures to show their classmates, share treats, and most importantly, choose one friend for a luncheon with the teacher.
From the time it was announced that my daughter was going to be the next star of the week, her closest friends had been trying to influence her to select them. Now this posed a problem for my daughter. If she chose one friend, the others would have their feelings hurt. Also, the one chosen would invariably feel more important than the others.
When my daughter confided in me that she was having a tough time selecting a friend for the luncheon, I gave her advice to choose the student who had not been given the opportunity to eat with the teacher. My intention was to teach my daughter how one little gesture of kindness could make a difference in someone’s life. However it was my daughter who taught me the lesson.
When the day finally came, my daughter decided upon a boy she had known since her daycare days. At first this shocked me because the two had been fighting like siblings for years. He was the last person I thought she would choose. However, this obvious solution ended up being the best one.
While not choosing one of her closest friends upset all of them in the short term, in the long term it allowed her to retain those friendships. Also, it did not elevate one friend over the other. I believe we can all learn something from my daughter’s action.