Raising a Grateful Child – Part 2
Nov 20
Raising a Child with a Grateful Heart By Example
We said yesterday that gratitude is either caught or taught. The first way that we can train our kids to have a grateful heart is by example. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:11-13, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Is this a verse we can use to define our lives? Gratitude for what we have be given defines a life of contentment. When our children observe us in our daily life do they see this about us, or do they see someone who is always striving to have the next thing? It is very easy in this culture to feel the need to one up the people around us with the things we have.
One way to live a life of contentment with what God has provided for us is to serve those around us. If we are serving wherever there is a need then it allows us to be others focused. Look for places to serve others. Make it a family event to give back to those around you. Giving your children the opportunity to serve and to watch you serve is an invaluable lesson. Look for that opportunity this holiday week!
Listen to today’s podcast for more insight on training a grateful heart.
Raising a Grateful Child – Part 1
Nov 19
Getting Ready for a Successful Thanksgiving
Gratitude is not something that is an innate human trait. Because we are all born selfish, it is something that is both caught and taught. As God designed it, babies spend all of their time having their needs met. As children get older they are taught to be more and more self-sufficient. If we are not spending time training our children to have a grateful heart however, they will keep that selfish attitude.
Thanksgiving gives us a wonderful opportunity for training. We can utilize the theme of this holiday to start our holiday season off with an attitude of gratitude. One way to do that is by creating an “I’m thankful for list”. Starting today put a poster board up in a central location of your house. It can be a plain poster board or you can enlist the help of your children to decorate it. Parents can take the initiative and begin every day by writing at least one thing on the list that they are thankful for. Make a game of seeing who can come up with the most things. Keeping the things that we are thankful for in the forefront of our minds will begin to train us, and our children, to have grateful hearts.
For more ideas on teaching gratitude through fun activities check out,
http://glittermagic.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/10-ways-to-celebrate-gratitude-in-your-happy-home/
Listen to today’s podcast for more insight on training a grateful heart.
An Attitude of Gratitude
Apr 07One way to fight this attitude of personal rights is to begin developing an attitude of gratitude. Thankfulness is something that is taught, it does not come naturally. When a child is taught to be consistently thankful for what they are given and how hard their parents work to give it to them, it helps to soften the entitled attitude as they grow up.
First it is an area to be role modeled. Do the children see thankfulness in you? Thank your children when they are helpful, when they do something out of their way just to be nice. By consistently saying a simple thank you to your children you are teaching thankfulness.
Another way to teach thankfulness is around the dinner table you can play a thankful game. Every family member needs to think of at least one thing that they are thankful for from that day. This helps to keep thankfulness on the forefront of everyone’s mind, as well as creating conversation.
Sometimes just very simple solutions can help prevent bigger problems later.
Choosing to be thankful for everything we have, combats the attitude of “that’s mine” or “you can’t come in here.”
What are you thankful for?
Mar 18As we begin our next few days of activities to count down to Easter, we are following the “Resurrection Eggs” devotional. If you don’t have the eggs you can just find that part of the story in your Bible to read to your children and continue on with the activity. The first egg that is opened has a little donkey in it. This is to commemorate the triumphal entry into Jerusalem by Jesus. This story can be found in Matthew 21. Some celebrate it as Palm Sunday.
We can take our cue from this story and use this day to praise and thank God for what He has done in our lives. Little “Easter trees” are a very popular decoration right now. These little trees have cute little eggs hanging from them. We can make a “praise tree” to remind us what we are thankful for during this holiday. You can utilize one of the Easter trees if you have one. Just cut out pretty pieces of paper and have your family write down what they want to praise God for. You can also make a construction paper tree on your wall to decorate with your families praises. Beginning to focus our minds during this season is a very important habit to begin.
The goal: To stop and thank God for the gift we are given at Easter.
Teaching Gratitude at Christmas
Dec 11
There’s an item that needs to be in every family member’s stocking this year. It’s rare that we would say “need,” but this is definitely a need.
Part of parenting needs to include teaching the lesson of gratitude. Gratitude begins by saying “Thank You.”
Purchase a box of Thank You notes for each member of the family and place it in their stockings. Find a way to track each gift when opened. Each family member can have their own pad or one family member (in our house it was Mom) can sit with a pad and keep track for everyone. Set aside a night before New Years to sit down as a family writing notes and drinking hot chocolate.
Taking the time to write a Thank You note is not only the right thing to do, it’s also a training thing to do. Nothing teaches gratitude like learning to say “Thank You.”
