The GratitudeSite

It is never too young to start learning how to express gratitude! I was so thrilled to receive a very charming little thank you postcard from my 5 year old niece yesterday and that started me thinking about what gratitude looks like through the eyes of the very young. Instilling the habit of thankfulness in our very young should be an automatic part of parenting, though judging by the behavior of some of the children I have witnessed recently, it is not. It is not just about saying thank you because it is required, or the polite thing to do (thought that is nice.) It should be an expression of true appreciation.

I believe it is a child’s nature to be full of joy and exuberance. They are naturally very appreciative of even the smallest gift or kindness. It is we, the adults that teach them to be greedy, jealous and entitled. When we are never satisfied with what we have and covet our friends and neighbors possessions and success we set an example that affects the children around us for a lifetime. It doesn’t have to be that way.

• Allow a child to enjoy their world and teach them to see every person and object in it as a gift.
• Model true thankfulness by expressing honest appreciation when someone shows you a kindness.
• Be truly grateful for all of the blessings in your life and say it out loud – people cannot read your mind.
• Set an example by being kind, generous and compassionate to others.
• Stop judging yourself and everyone else – we are so quick to judge and it only does harm.
• Keep a positive attitude and allow yourself to delight in the miracles that happen every day – this does not mean that you ignore the complicated reality of life’s problems; just change your perspective a bit.

If we want to foster gratitude and kindness in our children we have to first take a good look at ourselves. “Do as I say and not as I do” just doesn’t work!