The month of November brings up the virtue of gratitude for many families. As Thanksgiving approaches, many parents want to find ways to impart this feeling of gratitude on their children. We want them to feel happy and thankful for their life and to give back to our community. This year, for me, it is a bit easier to be thankful. Yes, our lives are so different than before. My kids miss school, their friends, their sports teams and extracurricular activities. They miss going to the movies, parties and seeing friends and family up close. Those are all things that have been taken away this year and will probably be missed for a while longer. However, with all the things we are missing out on, we are lucky to be healthy and alive. When things are hard, there are still things to be thankful and grateful for.
Gratitude for Health
Health is not something I take for granted, as I am a mother of a child with a chronic illness. He has had this his whole life and it’s been the worst for him the last few years. Thankfulness can be hard to have when you are struggling with something, but that is when it is the most important. Any person who has been through a crisis or a health battle with a loved one knows that there are so many highs and lows. The worst part about it is that you no longer plan ahead; you deal only with the battle that is immediately in front of you. The future is not promised to any of us, but most people have future goals and dreams. For people who are battling a crisis, the present is the focus. Each day is taken one at a time. It can be hard to have thankfulness and gratitude during these times, but even the smallest of things matter. This mindset is what gets you through the lows and allows you to breathe in the highs.
Gratitude for Growth
We can all get overwhelmed and be too busy to take a moment and appreciate what we have and how much we have to be thankful for. I have heard the proverb, “you get knocked down seven times, but you rise eight.” This is what life can be like for people who are struggling through hard times. When you are down, and someone comes to lend a hand or gives you some help, it encourages you to rise again. Right now, as you are trying to figure out how to help your children think about being thankful and grateful, think about helping others. Helping others rise once again can make our children feel so thankful and so grateful for all they have and all they are. Allow them to help by collecting their spare change and donating it, participate in local food drives. Donate their toys to those in need. If you can, purchase a new coat or a toy for a child.
Gratitude for Community
Sit with your children and talk about what matters in your community. See how they would like to help in this season of giving and gratitude. Local hospitals, foster care and food banks are great ways to make an impact within your community. Focusing on your own local community will make it easier for your children to feel the impact of their donation. There are always people who are in need of things. You don’t have to give monetarily – instead give a card to an elderly neighbor who cannot see their family this year or a note of thanks to a Veteran. This may be the one thing that lifts them up that day. Times are hard for a lot of families right now and we are all feeling overwhelmed by the pandemic. Helping lift someone else up can change that perspective for us all. Being thankful and grateful is easier when you’re helping someone else in need.
Try to weave gratitude into your family’s life every day. Each night at dinner you can say what you are grateful for. This year, we made a thankful jar and my children wrote down the things that they are thankful for each day. Express gratitude daily in your own life – as a parent we often forget to take a moment and be thankful for what we have. This is a great way to model thankfulness for your children and to give yourself a little perspective also.
Tis’ the season to be thankful and grateful! What can you do to help your children find the good in the bad?
