Behind the Scenes: Why Listening to Kids Matters with Chantel Grant
At Highlights, we receive thousands of messages from kids each year. Some are silly. Some are heartbreaking. All are real. And every single one matters.
Every day, I have the responsibility and privilege of listening to kids. I hear about their worries, their wins, their curious questions and their proudest moments.
As the Kid Advocacy Editor at Highlights, I carefully read and respond to every letter from kids in a kindhearted and attentive way. Being an active listener doesn’t always happen in grand, sweeping gestures. Sometimes it’s about sitting with the big questions and appreciating the little ones that make me laugh out loud. It’s about seeing the world through their eyes and responding with kindness, curiosity and respect.
“My Little Brother Thinks He’s a Dog…”
Every letter brings a new adventure inside. Take this note from Leo, age 7, from Texas:
“Dear highlights, I have a big problem. My little brother thinks he’s a dog. He crawls around barking, and he once tried to eat my homework. My parents tell me he’ll grow out of it, but I think we should take him to the vet. What do you think?”
This letter really made me laugh. I love Leo’s seriousness because I know Leo is concerned about his brother. It’s a reminder that every concern deserves to be heard with genuine attention.
“How Do I Stop from Feeling So Sad?”
Then there are letters like Maya’s, age 9, from Ohio:
“Dear Highlights, my grandpa passed away and I miss him so much. He used to read me bedtime stories and now my room feels quite quiet. How do I stop from feeling so sad?”
This was such a tender letter and tender moment. I was honored she trusted Highlights with something so personal. I told her that love never really leaves us, and that her grandpa is still with her in so many ways. I also reminded her it’s okay to feel sad and encouraged her to talk with her parents about how she’s feeling.
These letters stay with me. They’re not just messages, but connections. And I carry those connections in my heart long after I’ve sent a response.
Simple, Powerful Kids Letters
One letter I received recently simply said:
“I love your magazines. I read them all over again. And I like the jokes. They are so funny.”
It stopped me in my tracks—not because it was elaborate or poetic, but because it was honest and joyful. It was enough.
This one reminded me of something I think we forget as grown-ups…kids don’t need grand gestures. They need consistency, care, and connection. They need us to remember what matters to them.
Responding to Kids Letters
Since 1946, Highlights has received over 2 million submissions from readers, and we’ve responded to every single one.
Yes, even the ones that are just a drawing or a quick note, that come via postal or through our email account. That’s a tradition I’m incredibly privileged to continue. We make sure our letters are truly kid-friendly by making sure our response is meaningful and accessible to them.
Kid-Friendly Advice from Highlights
When kids seek our advice on friendship, school or anything else, we carefully and intentionally craft our responses with kids in mind.
At Highlights, we’ve spent over 75 years learning how to talk to children, not at them. We are speaking to them in words they will understand and in a manner that feels very conversational and very much for them. We want kids to know our responses are for them and not written for their parents.
We also want to make sure we are providing encouragement and hope through our letters and really celebrating the kids. Even when they come to us with hard stuff, we tell them they’re brave and courageous. We remind them how thoughtful and considerate they are for taking the time to write down their feelings about what they’re going through.
Write to Highlights
If your child has something they’d like to share with Highlights—a thought, a question, a joke, a story, or even just a drawing, we’d honored to read it.
- Email to Letters@Highlights.com
- Mail to Highlights Editorial, 803 Church Street, Honesdale, PA 18431
Big or small, silly or serious—every message from a child is a gift. And we treat it that way.
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