HOOSIER MAMA
practice gratitude is a philosophy that they can adopt
and will serve them well their entire lives.
So, here’s some simple ways to do it:
By Farrah Alexander
ENCOURAGING
GRATITUDE THAT
LASTS BEYOND
THANKSGIVING
Farrah’s son Daniel’s first Thanksgiving.
HEN I WAS PREGNANT WITH
MY FIRST, DANIEL, I CRAVED
THANKSGIVING FOOD THE
ENTIRE DURATION. NO PICKLES
AND ICE CREAM FOR ME; I WANTED MASHED POTATOES
AND SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE. PUMPKIN PIE
VISITED ME IN MY DREAMS.
W
I love Thanksgiving. The decadent food, the time
spent with my wonderful family, the pre-meal
mimosas, the browsing Black Friday ads – what’s
not to love? Hop into your stretchiest stretchy
pants and enjoy this beautiful, gluttonous holiday.
But I’ll admit, I often get caught up in the chaos of
the holiday and sometimes lose sight of the theme
of gratitude. The word “thanks” is in the name of the
holiday, after all. It should be easy to remember to
remain grateful and express your blessings, but it’s
so easy for those ideas to slip away.
It’s hard enough for a grown adult to maintain
a sense of gratitude, it’s certainly a challenge for
little ones. But teaching your kids to be thankful
and express gratitude at Thanksgiving and beyond
is a truly worthwhile goal. Grateful kids are happier
and even more of a joy to others. (Watch an adult’s
face light up when a small child thanks them. It’s
impossible not to smile.)
Teaching your children to say, “thank you” when
appropriate is a great lesson of course. But it’s really
just good manners. Teaching your child to regularly
108 EXTOL : OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018
Farrah’s daughter Penelope’s
first Thanksgiving.
A kind Walmart employee
helps load a minivan full
of turkeys headed to New
Hope Services.
• Expand on your “thank yous.” When you
thank someone, add a little something
genuine and personal that shows why
you’re grateful. For example, say after you
cook dinner, your kid says, “thank you.” It’s
a nice gesture and you’re glad your kid
is being polite. But, what if your kid
instead says, “Thank you for making
dinner. I know spaghetti’s not your
favorite, but it’s my favorite and you make
the best spaghetti.” See how genuine that
sounds? It’s a great way not only to make
the person being thanked feel fantastic, it’s
a great way to reflect on gratitude and
express why you’re sincerely grateful.
•
Call out your blessings. If you feel grateful
for something, say it out loud in front of
your kids. It doesn’t have to be anything
huge; any ordinary, seemingly insufficient
thing is perfect. If you feel grateful, just
say it. Saying things like, “I just love having
the opportunity to spend time with you
when you get home from school” or “I love
when we have dinner together as a family”
are simple but meaningful.
•
Regularly ask your child what they’re
grateful for or what their blessings are. It’s
a good opportunity for them to reflect on
their days and remember how blessed
they are. If they’re stumped at first, you
can share a few things you’re grateful for
and then challenge them to come up
with three of their own. It doesn’t have
to be profound. If they name three friends
at school they have or three of their favorite
toys, that’s fine. No wrong answers.
•
Get into the habit of charitable giving or
volunteering if you’re able. You don’t have
to give a detailed account of all the ways
people across the world suffer, but you
don’t have to sugar-coat that people do
suffer either. There are countless ways
to help and many people in need of help.
So, find a way your family can help others.