Welcome to TUESDAY TALK!
*I’m so glad to have you join me this Tuesday for our weekly Tuesday Talk Link-Up! Before linking up, let me share with you some things I’ve been learning from one of the best parenting books I’ve read in awhile!
In this brand-new book by Kristen Welch, discover how saying “no” can lead to life’s biggest “yes.”
One of my favorite quotes in this book is: “Nothing teaches gratitude like perspective.” Kristen explains: “If we compare with those who have more, we need to compare with those who have less.” If I want to teach my children to be thankful, I need to show them how much they truly have. In my home, we have a living example. Right now our almost three-year-old has been home for eleven months. Her life before our family isn’t something we like to talk about. It isn’t something we really want to talk about it. But we do. We want all of our children to realize others do not live in the same way they do. There are orphans. There are children who suffer. Who are lonely. Those facts are not something to hide or brush aside. Those facts are facts about a member in our family. We cannot ignore them. We cannot ignore that there are more orphans in the world.
We tell our two older boys (seven and five) about these children. We tell them these children have nothing of their own. We talk about their sister and where she came from. We use age-apporpriate language and topics. We are respectful of culture ad birth families. We do not shy away from the hard things though. We discuss how sad and lonely it would be. We discuss how we can help. Or how we can pray. It reminds them, to be grateful for their family. My seven-year-old has recently begun telling me (a LOT) how much he loves me. How much he loves having me as his mommy. The other day he told me: “If I could have picked, I would have picked you as my mommy.”
It warms my heart, but I wonder. I wonder if he realizes other children do not have mommies and daddies. He is beginning to grow the seeds of gratefulness. Through simple conversations, we can start to instill a heart of gratefulness. As our children grow older, we want them to be exposed and meet people from all walks of life. Those who are less fortunate. Those who have far less than they. It will teach perspective, but with perspective comes gratitude.
Read more about this in Kristen’s book!
I’ll be giving away a copy of the book at the end of the month! Enter to win here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I’m linking up here.
*Affiliate links are include in this post. Read my disclosure here.
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So true. I’m trying to talk about this little by little with our oldest. We did a giving tree this year for Christmas gifts, and we will donate some things for Easter baskets. I talk about how these kiddos lack a lot and he has so much.
Sarah, I love how you said, “If I want to teach my children to be thankful, I need to show them how much they truly have.” What is true for children is also true for us. It warmed my heart to hear your son’s declaration of love!
This was beautiful! When I have children this message will be me everyday.
“Gratitude Attitude” is something that a preacher said and had everyone repeat the whole week (at a Christian Camp my kids attend yearly). Gratitude is a choice and we parents have to have a gratitude attitude before we can teach our children 🙂 I love reading posts like this!
I think it is definitely a parent and grandparent’s responsbility to lead by example. I love how you are explaining gratitude to your children and giving them a wonderful moral base to live by. Thanks for sharing with us at #OvertheMoon link up .