If you are a parent or guardian, you probably know that what you tell your children is what they become. If you encourage them every day and give them a reason to go out and work for their future, they will grow up to be responsible young adults who know how to solve their problems. If you make them feel bad about themselves and scare them, they will go out into the world ready to lose and worry the whole time.
In this situation, a woman named Stacey Truman has actually chosen the first option. Stacey is a mom at home and works in the snack bar at Kingston Elementary School in Virginia. She has worked there for 9 years and has seen little kids grow up into teens and leave to face the world.
When you have a job like hers, you can’t fight the motherly urge that pulls at you every time kids bring their lunches into the snack bar. She finally gave in to her desire to do something good for them, and the result is the school’s popular “Talking bananas.”
Stacey has been using a routine with her own children for a long time, so she thought it would be a good idea to bring it to work with her. She put a word in her kids’ lunches to inspire them and help them see things from a different point of view. The woman knew that it would change the way they thought and make their lives much easier.
So, she started writing encouraging messages on their bananas so they would have something to think about while they ate their lunch.
She brought her permanent marker to school one day and started drawing those little notes on the kids’ bananas. It wasn’t long before the school administration and parents found out what Stacey was doing. One day, the principal went to the lunchroom without being asked and got a banana. It said, “Be your best self.” She didn’t think much about it, but she took a picture of it and tweeted it along with the whole story. It spread like wildfire, and moms all over the country praised Stacey for her advice.
The kids were likewise delighted. They might not wait for lunch break to get their talking bananas. Instead, they might go to the lunchroom quickly. Stacey is still sending positive messages to the kids. She hopes that this will inspire them to do great things and live their lives without negativity.
The words kids hear as they grow up have a big impact on who they become as adults. They need someone to tell them that if they made it, the world might be a better place. They need to learn that making a choice is important even when it seems like a sure failure. Kids need to learn how to set their priorities in life and that there are good people in the world.
