Indonesia
Thankful Mom Makes Thankful Kids
Superparents, we must not allow our kids to grow up spoiled. Kids should life in with grateful hearts, sacrificial love and appreciation for what they have. Kids who don’t know gratitude are seldom satisfied no matter how much they have. Thankful kids can enjoy the blessings that come their way, even if it’s not much.
Raising thankful kids need a long life learning. However, don’t despair. Kids, and adults, can be taught to be grateful.
Be a Role Model; Kids learn from what their parents say and do in front of their kids. So, correct our saying or behavior when kids imitate our fail, or when we have done something wrong. Make saying ‘Thanks God for everything’ as habit. Also, say thank to kids and any other persons who help us.
Less is More; Teach manner, and don’t spoil our kids. Tell them that we can’t give all they ask for. Kids will become less appreciative when we give them everything. When we help feed the ungrateful habit, we sabotage the growth of grace in our kids. Think about it.
Expose to Reality; It’s easy to live in a bubble created by media and the veneer of affluence that separates us from the rest of the world. However, take our kids on mission trips to poverty-stricken area or storm-ravaged area or to orphanage. Show, don’t tell.
Donate; The next step is social awareness by teaching them to serve others. Show them that generosity is giving on a sacrificial level. So, take them to share with those who have nothing; to the homeless. To start, we may donate toys that they no longer play with or clothes they have outgrown. Kids can help with this process and they can go with us when we deliver the boxes. This action will encourage our kids to be givers.
To be thankful, we may be reminded by special days in calendar. However, it shouldn’t be a one day deal as we should always be thankful on a daily basis. When we’re thankful, our kids will be thankful too.
TEGUH WAHYU UTOMO
PHOTOS: THINKSTOCK
