Be Kind To Your Parent’s Friends
Auggie Reed
It might sound simple, but being kind to your parents' friends has taught me that small gestures can impact in big ways. It can be odd seeing your parents' friends, especially the ones that somehow remember you when you have no idea who they are, but putting in the effort to be polite and acknowledge them, that’s what really counts.
I started believing this after I got a lot of compliments about “what a polite kid I was”. The admiration made me feel really confident, because I really felt like I was being a good person, so I kept modeling the remarks. The first time I got this compliment was when I was about 4-5 years old, and my parents' friends came over. We hung out and had some food, and after we finished, my parents' friends told my parents “Your kids are so sweet, they made us want to have kids”. The sentence sent a jolt of determination through my body, and though I didn't know it at the time, it would inspire me for the rest of my life. So, every time my parent’s friends come over, I try to live up to that expectation I set for myself when I was five years old.
In a world where social media and digital time is so prominent, I want to be an example for my generation to at least put in the effort to hang out with your parents' friends, instead of just staying in bed, and watching TV until your eyes rot out of your head. Therefore, being kind to your parents' friends, on a deeper level, reminds us that your reputation and how people perceive it is an important effort to put in, even if it seems insignificant, because adults or people who respect you will see you in a new light.
For example, when my brother broke his arm, a lot of adults came to give him presents or gifts to make him feel better. It showed that Oscie’s kindness shined so much that adults felt encouraged to give him gifts.
At the end of the day, being kind to your parents' friends shows me how important kindness is, for yourself and others. Often in this age, we ignore doing the most simple task, but we need more people who at least do the bare minimum to ensure a better world for adults and kids alike.
Writer's Statement
I chose this topic because I think it’s a topic I think is very specific to me. The time this topic really clicked with me was in the middle of class while I was thinking about what belief I wanted to talk about. I knew we had to do something relevant but specific, and I was having trouble thinking of a topic that related to me but didn't feel generic. And then, it suddenly clicked. “Be Kind To Your Parent’s Friends”. I remembered the time this belief had been formed, back when I was so young. This memory is very important to me, so I decided to use this topic.
The deeper meaning of my topic is, in this time and age, people can ignore just putting in a little effort to be kind. I think being kind to your parent’s friends tells us that putting in that extra effort to be kind may seem unimportant, but it really can push us to make the world a better place. This belief formed for me when I was little and I got a lot of compliments saying I was a polite kid. These compliments made me feel more confident, so I decided to keep being kind to my parents. Eventually, I realized that this smal gesture that can do can actually have a bigger impact on people around me, so I incorporated it into one of my core beliefs.
I decided to use this tone of exploring the bigger picture because it really helps me dive deep into the undertones of this topic. I really wanted to talk about the corruption of social media over this generation, and I thought this was a perfect way to do that. For example, in my essay I said “In a world where social media and digital time is so prominent, I want to be an example for my generation to at least put in the effort to hang out with your parents' friends”.
Since my audience is my classmates, I decided this topic was excellent because it is directed towards kids and the younger generation, talking about inspiring this generation to put in more effort to at least do a simple task, and not slack off.
For my revision process, I added more detail to my essay so the story could really come to life and be more understandable. I hope readers will feel inspired by my essay to put in more effort, and feel more encouraged to be a better person. I hope they understand how my topic relates, and how much effort I put into this project.
I really think my brother’s writing really inspired me for this essay. I really like his fresh point of view, and I really wanted my essay to feel like that. I think he puts a lot of effort into his work as well, and that really inspires me.