Mom shares creative way she encourages her kids to embrace their innate goodness—and it’s going viral

From an early age, we can see what kind of person our child is going to be. They may be a natural leader; they may be courageous; they may be thoughtful; they may be kind. For Kelsey Pomeroy’s family, inclusivity is what her kids gravitate towards. This concept may be hard to grasp for little minds, so the mama explained it to her 3-year-old in a creative and empowering way.

Pomeroy posted a reel on Instagram that shared how she likened the trait to a “special talent” and told her son “that he comes from a long line of includers.”

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A post shared by Kelsey Pomeroy (@kelsewhatelse)

“Before the first day of school last year, I sat my 3-year-old down and I told him about a super special talent that our family has. I told him, very seriously, that he comes from a long line of includers,” she wrote in the caption. “I then proceeded to tell him that our family has a special talent for being able to look around a room and see if anybody needs a friend.”

She was happy to see that her son took the conversation to heart and implemented his talent during the school year. “He held fast to the idea that he was naturally given to being an includer for the entire school year. And it was a joy to watch from the sidelines as he let the belief that he was naturally inclined to be a friend to people drive his actions,” Pomeroy continued. “There were times when his class was having trouble with a classmate [sometimes that classmate was him!], that we were able to look at the issue through the lens of being an includer [while still holding our personal boundaries!] and try to process and plan our actions accordingly.”

Of course, the talent of being an “includer” isn’t for everyone, since every kid is different. “I will say that my son is naturally an extrovert, and so are both of his parents so telling him that he is an includer by blood lineage isn’t so far of a stretch,” Pomeroy noted before encouraging parents to talk with their kids about their own special gifts. 

“So if you were to sit down with your kid today and tell them that they have a special talent that they were just born with, what would it be? Inclusion? Kindness? Bravery? Helping? Generosity?” she asked. “Whatever that talent may be, taking the time to share their innate goodness with them really sets them up for a good year.”

It’s so important to teach our children how to treat others (and themselves) with respect and dignity, and it’s also important to speak to them in an age-appropriate way. Pomeroy’s method checks both boxes, and encourages kids to embrace their innate goodness in a fun way.