Tag: mom

The Cape Effect…what’s that?

Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

Cape Effect
/kāp/ /iˈfekt/
noun

1.       The immediate reaction of a child when given a cape to wear. Usually involves wide eyes and open mouth, in addition to one or more of the following: squealing with delight, jumping for joy, frolicking around the house, superhero voguing, and surprisingly good behavior.

You know what’s really cool? When your kids EXCEED your expectations. You hope your messages to your teenage daughter about being inclusive of her peers have sunk in…and then you find out she’s gone out of her way to make sure others don’t feel left out or lonely. You’ve tried to encourage your little guy to stand up for someone being bullied…and then he does, with confidence and tact.

We at Wear the Cape and the kidkind foundation believe we’ve found the secret sauce to this recipe. It’s what we call the “Cape Effect.”

Time and again, we’ve seen and heard that kids are motivated to earn the right to Wear the Cape – whether tied around their neck or imprinted on their shirt – by doing the right thing. Explain to them what it looks like to be a “hero” and give a kid that name, and he or she will work to live up to it. They get it, even at a young age.

To facilitate communication with tykes to teens, every Wear the Cape product includes a Hero Tag that tees up a teachable moment. Various real-life scenarios are presented that challenge kids to think through the right choices to be made in each situation. Try it. Talk with your kids about what it REALLY means in practice to be heroic, and watch great stories come back to you about your Cape Kid in action!

I still remember when the first box of prototype shirts arrived at our house last summer. The kids I gave them to went wild with excitement about the idea of a cape being on their backs – symbolic, for all to see. And what followed the initial excitement was the best part: They began acting like heroes.

The video below paints this picture with two little boys who will undoubtedly put a smile on your face. After receiving Wear the Cape tees, they spend a few moments processing the idea of being able to wear a cape on their backs (like they’ve seen heroes do in movies, books and on TV), and then they start “flying” around the house. Think of being given a cape like being knighted.

Also interesting to note: these handsome little men have a super cool mama, too. Her name is Chara, and she and her colleague Jodi just finished a book you’ll love called You Are. The fundamental premise of the book is that when people really know WHO THEY ARE, WHAT THEY HAVE, and WHAT THEY CAN DO, they are naturally inspired to uplift, encourage and help, rather than put down, criticize or harm. We could not agree with you ladies more!

So, hey folks – give a cape, and watch the magic; keep it in mind to give Wear the Cape products as gifts for birthdays, holidays, and just to celebrate achievements (check out our Shop page here for lots of great ideas). We so appreciate the support – it’s how we’ll be able to keep on chuggin’ – and you’re turning kids’ dreams of being heroes into reality.

Building heroes, a kid at a time – that’s Wear the Cape and YOU.

Choose kind,
Leigh Ann

Another Reason to Celebrate Diversity

Leigh Ann ErricoLeave a comment

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we recognize the man behind the words above. As the third Monday of January reminds us, focusing on what unites us instead of what divides us makes our lives happier, more peaceful, and more successful…a lesson evident from an early age. According to the National School Climate Center:

“…school climate is larger than any one person’s experience. When people work together, a group process emerges that is bigger that any one person’s actions. A comprehensive assessment of school climate includes major spheres of school life such as safety, relationships, teaching and learning, and the environment as well as larger organizational patterns (e.g. from fragmented to shared; healthy or unhealthy). How we feel about being in school and these larger group trends shape learning and student development. Peer-reviewed educational research has consistently demonstrated that a positive school climate is associated with academic achievement, effective risk prevention efforts and positive youth development.”

Teaching kids to not only accept others for their differences, but to celebrate diversity among their peers means that the group functions better overall, benefiting each student on an individual level. And the value goes beyond time spent in the classroom. A “positive school climate fosters youth development and learning necessary for a productive, contributing and satisfying life in society.”

How Can You Help at Home?

  • Communicate to your kids that everyone deserves to feel socially, emotionally and physically safe.
  • Explain the importance of respecting AND engaging others.
  • Provide first-hand experiences, such as caring for pets or looking out for younger siblings, to allow kids to think of themselves as helpful, caring people.
  • Get involved in your child’s school and activities to encourage policies and programs that celebrate diversity of talents, interests, age, race, income, background, appearance, cultures, etc.

Check out these “14 Unexpected Responses to Hatred Show That Humans Do Sometimes Get It Right” for more inspiring stories of people looking beyond their differences to find common ground, fertile for a positive outcome. Make it a great week!

Flickr/katerha

The Start of Something Good: Guest Blogs!

Leigh Ann Errico1 Comment

Guest blog iconWe are so excited to begin featuring blogs from YOU. By sharing your stories, it’s our hope that others will be inspired to Wear the Cape, too – because we can’t teach kindness on our own! It’s learned through experience. By seeing through the eyes of many, we will all have better perspective.

Our first installment comes from Cindy of New Jersey:

I experienced a true Wear the Cape moment a few months ago. My daughter and I were at Shop Rite, doing our weekly routine of buying groceries. It’s usually a rushed experience since we are always on the go and heading somewhere – but this day was different. My 6-year-old decided that she wanted to help bag the food, so I said, “Sure! That would be a huge help, and I’d love that.” Because she took that job on, I had the chance to stand there and just hang out for a few moments. I could have picked up my phone to check email, but for some reason I didn’t.

In those five calm minutes I noticed a couple at the register next to me. They looked older, tattered and a little unsettled – I was interested in what was happening (read: I can be nosy!), so I kept my eye on them and the woman at the register. Before I knew it, I realized that their bill was more than what they could pay. I quickly looked at what was left to be bagged: essentials like toilet paper, soap, chicken, milk, etc. I heard the cashier say, “I am sorry but you’re going to have to put some of this back, because what you gave me isn’t enough to cover the bill.” 

I didn’t even think twice; I walked over to the register and said, “I would like to pay the rest of their bill.” My daughter, in her very loud (normal) voice exclaimed, “Mom, what’s happening? What are you doing?” I ignored her for a moment and pulled out my credit card to pay the bill so they could take everything home. I looked at the man and woman, now hugging and he was crying. His wife buried her head in his chest and didn’t say anything. With tears in his eyes, he whispered, “Thank you.”

The woman at the register turned to me and said, “I have worked here for 10 years and no one has ever done that…and believe me, we have people come through here weekly that have to return items.” I thought, “That is just not right!”

To top it off, the woman behind me grabbed my arms and looked me in the eye and said, “You are an angel. Wonderful things will come back to you, and you will be blessed.” I said to her, “Look at my daughter, and I have a son at home…I am already blessed!”

Without even realizing it, I had just taught everyone around me a lesson:

  • The struggling older couple now believes there are people in this word who are willing to help.
  • The cashier realized that there are still good people in the world.
  • And my favorite: My daughter watches me every day and learns from MY actions. She watched it all happen right before her eyes and couldn’t stop talking about it the entire way home (she, of course, told my son and husband), and she still talks about “the old couple that had no money that my mommy helped” – spoken by a true six-year-old. With one act of kindness, I made a lifelong impact. Your kids watch you every day, too – what a great thing to be able to teach an important lesson without saying a word at all!

The purpose of my story is to share that, in a moment’s notice, without giving enough time to talk yourself out of it, you can not only give someone dinner for one night, but change their perspective of the world! Be someone that changes the world – we can do it one person at a time.

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Many thanks to Cindy for kicking off our Guest Blog feature! Please send us your stories, too. It takes a community to teach kindness.