Babies are amazing. They can impact a roomful of people without trying. One time I was at a conference which only included adults. On the third day of a childless landscape I got in the elevator with a mother and her baby who happened to be staying at the same hotel. My whole being leaned in toward the tiny girl who emanated sweetness. I wanted to hold her. Nuzzle her. Touch her. But all I did was smile. When the doors opened they walked away, and I watched her small face peeking over her mother's shoulder. 

 

Next month there will be a mom's morning out. For two hours, babies and toddlers will be the center of attention for a batch of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. The kids will get to spend time with people who are smaller and more vulnerable than they are. Any drama that exists back in the classroom will disappear in the more present need to offer crackers, and draw with chalk. Which is a good thing. Empathy is born when we practice setting our own preferences aside while we immerse ourselves in the needs of someone else. 

 

It is fascinating, though not surprising, that such ideas are a deterrent against bullying. A program called Roots of Empathy brings babies into classrooms with the belief that human interaction ranks up with math skills. Mary Gordon gave a Ted Talk in which she describes what happens when babies come into schools. Mary believes that empathy is not taught, but rather caught. Most of us would agree that empathy can be in short supply in our hurting world, and its resurgence could infuse healing for many social problems. Emotional literacy is the affective element, and perspective taking is the cognitive piece. In Roots of Empathy, the teacher guides the children to describe how the baby feels, and what she is learning. There is no need to remind them to love the baby. That is an infant's innate superpower. The relationship continues through the year, unlike ours which is a one-off, and the children see developmental growth first hand. 

 

I am looking forward to that morning in December. The babies aren't, though. They are completely absorbed in the magic of today.