We live in a world that constantly bombards our children with messages suggesting that happiness, recognition, ……life itself, is a result of what we can accumulate; material possessions, likes on Instagram, selection for the 1st team, a degree…and so the list goes on.
Truth is that this is not the case and once this reality settles, they are left with an emptiness that over time can leave them with negative feelings and even depression.
However, as parents we can help our children develop a mechanism to protect them from this trap and its simpler than one would think…teach your child how to practice gratitude.
When we express gratitude, we begin to experience satisfaction and joy. It increases feelings of happiness, optimism, and hope. To have gratitude is to have an attitude of thankfulness. A practical way to develop this is to encourage your child to keep a daily ‘’gratitude journal’’.
To help your child start their journal give them the following prompts;
- Who is a person for whom you are grateful today?
- Did something happen today which you are thankful for?
- What is a simple thing in your life that you can give thanks for today?
- Was there a kindness shown to you today by someone for which you feel thankful?
- Is there a talent, skill, or strength that you have that you can give thanks for?
Speak to you child about how we can lose our happiness when we focus on what we don’t have instead of all that we do have.
Let gratitude become an attitude of thankfulness in your family and watch your child grow in confidence, tolerance, and contentment.