Looking around at today's culture we can clearly see evidence of a growing trend that is sub-optimal to say the least. More and more young people are growing up, feeling that the world genuinely revolves around them. So how do we curb this growing me epidemic in a culture that is all about selfie?? As parent's we can easily recall times when we felt frustrated or embarrassed by how ungrateful our child has been in moments past. We also know, realistically that life is hard and can't be relied on to gift our child's every heart's desire and whim. So how do we ensure our children truly learn to appreciate all they have? A grateful attitude is so much more than training our littles to recite a polite "thank you" to friends and family. At this time of holiday cheer we know that gratitude, especially when practiced daily, brings so much added joy to our lives. So how do we make grateful hearts the underlying theme in our home in this season of thankfulness and beyond? We scoured the internet and hope that the following ideas will make the upcoming holiday season that much brighter and better.
So first things first, you've recognize the need for more gratitude in your child. Now the hard part. We have to truly take a look at our own actions and how they play into this. I mean we do all this great stuff for our kids... outings, activities, gifts, the list goes on... we fill their time with joy and then the second we are home the whining and complaining begins again with full force. Our frustration is almost instantaneous. Can't they see we work so hard for them?! This cycle of us trying to fulfill our child's every desire, ungrateful whining, and frustration begins again and again. But the truth is we don't have to do all these things for them. We live in a world where picture perfect parenting is pushed into our face 24/7 and so like any peer pressure gimmick we feel the need to do more, buy more, and be more for our child. The truth is it is ok for a child to want non-necessities or for there to be a regular delay in gratification. If you aren't happy with your child's behavior look first to your role in the situation.
Luckily for us our children becoming needy and demanding is not inevitable. Nothing is set in stone and even the most distractible, still developing child can be set on the right path and taught to be thankful for the blessings in their life. Gratitude is more than just words or even a behavior, it is an internal experience and an overall outlook on life. It involve us not only NOTICING the things people give or do for us, it involves us THINKING about why the would show us such care, connecting that with how we FEEL about receiving such kindness, and then DOING something to express our appreciation. The key to our children developing an attitude of gratitude is for them to start NOTICING, THINKING, FEELING, and then DOING something about it.
This plus a daily effort to count our blessings will lead to better quality of relationships all around as well as increased happiness and less complaining in your home. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a win to us. So invest the added time and effort into teaching your child the principle of gratitude. Not only will it benefit everyone now, but it also arms your child with the emotional strength and fortitude to make it through life's times of plenty and times of hardship with grace and a grateful heart.
We hope you have the happiest of Thanksgivings this week!
And we are so incredibly grateful for every single one of you!!!
#RaiseAWarrior
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