In this season of Thanksgiving, I’ve been really taking in those around me and how they express their appreciation for others throughout their days. What I’m noticing is that people are often just rude to others. The “thank you” is missing. I then find myself over compensating for those in the grocery line in front of me or for those tables around me a lunch who mistreat their waitress by showering them with a seemingly excessive amount of “thank yous.”
What is even worse, is that I’m seeing that this lack of gratitude is rubbing off on our children. I see parents ignoring others and then the disheartening response of their children as they too lose the gratitude and pick up the attitude. They expect things rather than appreciate them.
Along those same lines, I hate to see the loss of the handwritten note. I have my children sit down and write thank you notes a few times a year for birthdays, Christmas gifts and other special occasions or unique situations. It’s becoming a lost art in today’s fast-paced world where sending off an email or text is faster and easier. And for those reasons it’s even more thoughtful to sit down and take pen to paper, address and stamp a note of appreciation to someone. I challenge you, as the parent, to take on a new attitude this month – and this year, that is of gratitude. It’s not your child’s fault if they don’t show appreciation for others. The responsiblity is yours.
Teach your child to write thank you notes. Show by example how to be gracious and appreciative of those who make your day easier – at the store, the car wash, the restaurant, the teachers who help your kid get to the bus or carpool pick up, the older sibling who helped you by running an errand, your husband or friend, the list goes on and on…
Take on the attitude of gratitude. You’ll be thankful you did.