To the editor:

Recently, I took my 7-year old son and his best friend, with their new Rollerblades, to the skate park. I must admit I was very worried that the bigger kids would literally run them over, but much to my delight, the older boys at the park were really nice.

For the first time in a long time, I heard kids being kind to each other. I heard “Good job, man,” “Are you OK, dude?,” “Hey, you got it” and a long list of other kindnesses.

There were even three boys, Clinton, Jeff and Skyler, who took the time to help out my inexperienced skaters. They showed the boys how to use the ramps, watched them and made them more comfortable and less afraid.

I hesitated before thanking them, thinking that they wouldn’t think it was “cool” for me to talk to them. But, they were happy to see that I noticed their good behavior.

I realized two important things from this experience. The first is that we should teach kids how important it is to be nice to others. The second thing, more important than the first, is that they should know that people appreciate their kind behavior.

Please, next time you see someone being polite, nice or doing a good job, just take a moment and say thank you. It will motivate them to continue, and you will feel good about making a difference.

Allison Ekren,

Lawrence