“Super Spencer,” Friend, September 2016, FJ8–FJ9
Super Spencer
Spencer found a note in his brown paper bag at lunchtime. It was from Mom. The note said, “You are a super smart boy.” He looked at the words and smiled.
His friends took the note and read it. They said, “No, you are a super silly boy.” They laughed at him. Spencer felt sad. When he got home he told Mom what happened. She felt sad too.
“Words can hurt,” Mom said. “But they can also make people happy. You can always choose to use kind words.”
Spencer didn’t want to go to school the next day. He didn’t want his friends to laugh at him. Mom drove him to school.
“Try using your words to make someone else happy,” she told Spencer. “Go say something kind to that teacher standing by the front doors. See what she does.”
He looked at the teacher. He thought for a minute. Then he jumped out of the car. He didn’t know the teacher, but he wanted to use kind words. “I hope you have a great day!” he said.
The teacher smiled. “You made my day!”
Spencer felt great. He felt the power of good words. He walked to his classroom with a smile on his face. He colored at his desk. His friends didn’t laugh at him at lunchtime. But even if they had, Spencer knew he could choose to use kind words.
After school Mom picked him up. She asked him what he learned that day. “Good words can make someone’s day better,” he said. “I want to be kind to someone every day.”
Mom smiled. “You are a super good example.”