Good News for Kids

SOMEONE NEEDS YOU

It feels great to be needed. When your mother tells you what a great helper you are with your little sister, or your friend says, “I never could have passed that swimming test without you cheering me on,” you swell up with pride. Someone needs you!
LET SOMEONE HELP, SOMETIMES

Every kid has had said in frustration, “I want to do it myself.” Grownups try to help because they think you need it, or because they can do it faster or more easily. They see you struggling and think they should step in when, if they give you a minute, you’ll work it out on your own.
EVERYONE WANTS TO BE LIKED

Everyone wants to be liked. The fact is, though, you will probably meet people in your life who don’t like you. That doesn’t mean there’s something “unlikeable” about you; it just means you and the other person have very different personalities or opinions.
WOULD YOU DO ANYTHING?

“I’d do anything to get that Lego Statue of Liberty kit,” you declare, seeing it in the store. “I’d give anything to be his girlfriend,” you groan, seeing the guy you like with someone else. Would you, really?
PLAYING PARENT AGAINST PARENT

Kids usually know which parent to go to for what problem. Maybe your mother is more likely to say “no” to ice cream, but you know your father loves it and will probably say yes. Maybe your father worries about saving money, so you ask your mother to buy you that sweatshirt at the mall.
A LITTLE IS ENOUGH

Kids hear a lot about sharing. That’s because it’s easy to be greedy: to take more than you need; to want what someone else has; or to keep what you have all to yourself, even when you see that other people need it, too.
WHEN NOBODY GETS YOU

Do you ever feel like no one understands you? Most kids struggle sometimes with feeling like other people don’t “get” you. You try to be outgoing, but a teacher writes on your report card, “Work on your shyness.” You ask a lot of questions and an adult says, “Stop being a pest!”
DON’T FORGET THE DIRECTIONS

With the end of the school year coming, lots of kids are taking final exams. The curse of exams can be the directions: You’re so eager to get started, you might forget to read them! Then the teacher will say, “I told you in the directions to use a pencil, not a pen. Ten points off!”
BIG THINGS, IN FEW WORDS

Sometimes, the biggest things can be communicated in the fewest words: “We’re moving.” “You won first place!” “Your Grandpa had a stroke.”
WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND

A lot of adults think kids are always looking forward: eager for the next new thing, the next change. But you know that, whenever there’s a negative or even a positive change in your life, you’re also looking at what you’re leaving behind.
JESUS SAYS, ‘PAY IT FORWARD’

Do you “pay it forward?” That means, when someone is kind to you, you do something kind for another person. If you forgot your lunch and an adult at school lends you money to buy lunch, for instance, you’ll remember that. Then, when a friend asks you for lunch money, you’ll be more likely to give it.
FUEL FROM FOOD AND GOD

Some kids will eat anything. Some are picky. Some have food allergies. Some are vegetarian or vegan. Some are Catholic and don’t eat meat on Fridays during Lent, or don’t eat pork because they’re Jewish and keep kosher, or don’t eat during the day in the month of Ramadan because they’re Muslim. Some kids even eat through a tube because they have trouble swallowing.
COULD YOU BE A HERO?

Could you be a hero? Most kids would say yes. You can picture yourself saving people in an emergency or rescuing a hurt dog. But you don’t really know how much courage you have until you’re in a situation where you have to be brave!
WHEN YOU NEED MERCY

“Mercy” can be a hard idea to understand. This week’s Gospel (Luke 24:35-48), though, gives us a great example of what mercy really means.
THERE ARE NO CRYSTAL BALLS

Everyone wants a crystal ball: a way to see what the future will be like. Whether you're wondering if your mean teacher will ever become nice or if you'll really grow up to be a police officer, you think it would be awesome to know the future.
IT'S A LONG STORY

Sometimes, a kid gets into a real mess. You lose a friendship, fail a class or do something you never thought you would. When someone asks you how this happened, all you can say is, "It's a long story."
KEEP GROWING AND CHANGING

Looking at old pictures of yourself can be hilarious. Whether you were a blond baby whose hair got darker, or a toddler obsessed with "Dora the Explorer" when you're all about Minecraft now, you have definitely changed a lot!
YOUR SACRIFICE FOR LENT

Lent started a few weeks ago. If you've given something up or you're trying to do something differently for Lent, you know how hard it can be to make a sacrifice. There are probably times when you don't want to do it, and it's really hard to make yourself keep your promise
WHEN YOU KNOW AN ANGRY KID

Do you know any angry kids? Some kids really struggle with acting out because they're angry. They get in trouble in school or at home and have a hard time keeping friendships. Usually, that means something hurtful is happening in their lives. It could be bad stuff at home, low grades in school or another problem.
IF YOU HAD ANY DOUBT

Some adults act like kids are willing to believe anything, but you know better. If someone tells you a new cereal is the best-tasting food ever or that they're going to win the school spelling bee, you don't just agree. You try the cereal and wait for the spelling bee finals!

The Evangelist - The Official Publication of the Diocese of Albany