By Stephanie Simmons
As Thanksgiving rolls around, it is always a time when I am redirected to my ever-present, yet often forgotten, goal to be more grateful and help my children to be more grateful as well. I think we all know that when we focus on what we have, we are happier and by extension, more giving of ourselves.
In my efforts to be a better person in general, I decided to start a gratitude journal. That evolved, or downgraded, to an app that I downloaded to my phone that reminds me each day to enter what I am grateful for on that day or moment. I set a low standard of listing at least three things each day. The app includes quotes on gratitude which I have enjoyed reading to help me remember and reflect on the importance of gratitude. I have been doing it for over 1000 days! I know that because the app encourages me every so often by updating me on how long I have been doing it. 🙂
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
We have done a few things as a family to help us be more grateful. As a parent, the hope is that this will help my children feel less entitled and more appreciative of what they have….
Here are a few ideas we have tried:
- Go around the table at dinner and say three things we are grateful for.
- Make a paper tree on our wall, and add leaves(write the thing we are grateful for) that we stick onto it. In the spring we switch to flowers.
- Make a gratitude jar with a container of paper next to it. Whenever, or when asked (usually that is when it was actually done), write on the paper and add it to the jar. Our family has filled the jar a couple of times and when we do, we read them all together.
- Model gratitude by expressing my gratitude aloud, or to my kids.
You can see the list isn’t very long, and often those ideas fall away and are forgotten, replaced, or resurrected. It is nice to have a month out of the year that reminds us to get back on track and focus on our many blessings.
QUESTION: What other ideas do you have to help you and your family to be more grateful throughout the year? Have you found gratitude to help you or your family?
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
Looking for ways to implement an attitude of gratitude with your children? Check out this list of Gratitude Practices for Children:
