Nurturing Gratitude in Our Children (and Ourselves)

Tis the season for turkey, and family, and giving thanks… and for Sharpie circles all throughout well-marketed toy catalogs.
 
I don’t know about you, but I often worry about whether my kids will grow up to become the dreaded E word: Entitled.
 
But not just them--me.
​It’s hard to remain grateful up against an endless barrage of advertisements, a constant view into my friends’ lives via social media, and in the hardness that is just plain life.
 
Gratitude is one of the key elements to enjoying life. God knew this when He created us. That’s why the Bible is full of examples, encouragement—and even admonishment—to “give thanks.”
 
Being grateful to God for who He is and what He has done is a great start, but we should also be grateful for the people who were made in His image. That's all of us. Showing gratitude for our friends, family, and neighbors assigns them value and strengthens relationships.
 
While thankfulness is a focus this particular month of the year, I want my kids to be grateful all year. And not for my sake--but for theirs.
 
Here are five habits we practice to nurture gratitude:

​1. Pray out loud, daily. 
​On the way to school.
At the dinner table.
Tucking them into bed.
 
Any or all of these occasions are great opportunities to express verbal thanks to God for his love and provision.
 
We began this habit at the beginning of this school year. During morning carpool we thank God for our teachers and administrators, for the ability to go to school and learn, for our friends, for each other, for Daddy, and for whatever blessings come to mind. Prayer humbles us by recognizing our dependence on God and His undeserved goodness toward us.
 
After a few weeks of modeling, I began asking each of my kids to take turns praying. I was amazed at how much they had picked up so quickly and their increased awareness of the blessings all around them. It really works!

​2. Write thank you notes. 
​Thank people for gifts.
Thank people for showing up. 
Thank people for who they are.

Think of any excuse to thank people and just do it.

A verbal “thank you” is one thing, but taking the time to express that gratitude on pen and paper is another. Call me old fashioned, but few things brighten my day more than a card in the mail. Am I right?
 

3. Be generous to others in need.
A neighbor loses a loved one.
The school is doing a diaper drive for the homeless.
A family’s home and belongings went up in flames.
 
Talk to your kids about ways you can help a hurting family or individual. Don’t make yourselves the “hero” of the story—instead make it clear that “We give because God has given to us.” Teaching children to put themselves in somebody else’s shoes helps them to realize that maybe they don’t have it so bad after all because they didn’t get that latest-and-greatest video game they wanted.
 

4. Use restraint on complaint. 
(i.e. the one I fail at most often)

​Complaining is a sure-fire symptom of entitlement. When was the last time you complained about having to wait at a restaurant? Or a school miscommunication? Or about your husband forgetting to take out the trash…again?
 
Or what about your job? Or about something not going your way? Or [you fill in the blank]?
 
When we complain, we are saying, “I deserve better.”  And that, my friend, is pride. (Trust me, that truth hurts me just as much as it hurts you.)
 
Spend a day observing your words: are they mostly positive and grateful, or negative and entitled? I constantly have to remind myself that "more is caught than taught." I can preach gratitude to my kids all day long, but if I'm constantly complaining, they're going to pick up on that.
 
So the next time Negative Nellie wants to make an appearance, send her back where she came from and turn your complaint into an expression of gratitude instead.
 
Here’s a recent, real life example:
Instead of, “Ugh. I hate raking all these leaves.”
Say, “Man, I sure am grateful for the shade these trees provide in the summer.”
 
Gratitude makes you virtually unbotherable* by minor inconveniences and first-world problems.

*Yes, I just made up a new word
 

 
​5. Celebrate 
Give thanks daily, celebrate often.
 
Closed on the new home? Celebrate!
Dad got a raise at work? Celebrate!
Prayer answered? Celebrate!
 
Go out to dinner, grab ice cream, or plan a special outing- and celebrate! Don't take for granted another year, another miracle, ​another breath even.

At my house we have a tradition called “chocolate milk cheers.” It’s when we stop to acknowledge something really cool God has done, like when he provided a new job for me last year. It happens sporadically throughout the year, but always on New Years Eve when we dump out our jar of notes of great things that happened over the past 12 months, then clink glasses. My kids love it.
 
Sometimes we even commemorate big answers to prayer by hanging something representative on our gallery wall. I call it our “wall of thanks.” When life gets really hard I look at that wall and remember all I have to be grateful for.
Remembering is a big part of being grateful. We can learn a lot from our friends, the Israelites, who left memorial spots all through the desert. When they returned to those spots they would remember the many ways God had provided, be filled with faith, and give thanks. Celebrations leave a mark on the minds of our children. 

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I love the words of the Apostle Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
 
Let us not miss that these three things are not independent of each other—joy, prayer, and giving thanks. They go hand-in-hand. When we nurture one, we nurture all.
 
What ways do you nurture gratitude in your family?
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