An attitude of gratitude

Saying “thank you” to someone for something nice is definitely a trait worth praising. Once your child has mastered this, take it a step further…

As young as you can, start going around the dinner table each night and have everyone share something he/she is thankful for that day.  Your child might start off by naming things that might be silly, or whatever he/she sees when looking around the room. This is a good chance to toss back that infamous question of, “Why?” to get the conversation rolling. (Goodness knows you probably hear that question enough during your day!)

This exercise is not only good for developing that attitude of gratitude that everyone could certainly use, but also helping to develop your child’s memory recall. You can talk through your child’s day together, and use the conversation to help jog his/her memory of what he/she did that day. This might help with the, “I don’t know” or “Nothing…” answer you might get when you ask, “What did you do at school today?”

Eventually, you’ll hear your little one giving thanks for many things… and tomorrow’s answer might be, “I’m thankful for you.”

(I’ve read this idea many places, so I’m not sure to whom I should give credit.)

Thank-you notes

In today’s age of email, Blackberries, cell phones, and the like, the power of a hand-written note is not to be underestimated. It is never too early to teach your children the importance of saying thank-you in a heart-felt manner!

For the really, really little ones, tracing or stamping their hands (or feet) onto the note card (or piece of paper) can mean so much to the recipient! Just think of the warmth this will give your child’s far-away family.

As your child is able to hold a crayon or play with stickers, encourage him/her to “write” a thank-you note, and you can add the message afterwards.

Let your child dictate the message to you, or help you come up with what to say. Your little one can even trace over your letters or sign his/her name!

Before you know it, your child will be reminding YOU that he/she wants to write a thank-you note. You’ll be amazed at the graciousness that will grow within your child — all with this early foundation of saying “thank you” the old-fashioned way.

Teaching compassion: Stamp Out Hunger

Today ask your child to open your pantry and look inside. What does he/she see? Hopefully your child is one of the lucky ones, looking at shelves full of healthy food. Ask your child how he/she would feel if your pantry was bare and his/her tummy was rumbling from hunger. Talk about how this is what many children (and adults) experience on a daily basis.

Yes, it can be a hard topic to talk about, and will likely evoke a lot of questions, but now is the time to start developing your child’s sense of compassion. Ask your child how he/she could help someone in this situation. Hopefully one of the responses involves providing food for people who don’t have enough.

This Saturday, May 9, 2009, the National Association of Letter Carriers will have its annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. This provides a great opportunity for your child to participate in helping people, in a way that he/she can understand.

When you’re doing your grocery shopping this week, and you’re walking down the non-perishable food aisles, take the time to talk about the foods your child sees that you have at home in your pantry. Bring back the fact that many people don’t have enough to eat, and that you can help by donating food. Work together with your child to pick out some healthy non-perishable food items to contribute to the food drive.

This Saturday morning, put your non-perishable food items to donate in a bag, label the bag with “Stamp Out Hunger food drive,” and place the bag by your mailbox. Perhaps your child would enjoy decorating the bag and/or writing the words, filling it with food, and carrying it outside. The important part is that your child knows the food he/she picked out is going to help someone whose tummy is rumbling from hunger.

Compassionate kids grow into compassionate adults. Help your child become an adult you’d want to know.