Instilling Gratitude Archives - The Mom Initiative

Teaching Gratitude to Ungrateful Children

Some things I vowed I’d never say to my children. Like this one. “Don’t waste those waffles, girls. Did you know there are kids starving in Africa??” “What?” My younger daughter, age four at the time, looked up at me and crinkled her nose. “In Africa. And all sort of other places around the world. Even here in our own country! Not all kids get to eat as much as you do.” “But I don’t want waffles! I wanted cereal!” My seven-year-old whined. “Too bad. Eat the waffles. Some children are lucky if they get a bowl of rice—and …

Four words you need to know to raise grateful kids

Every year words are removed from the dictionary for lack of relevance. It’s not surprising to see words like “cassette player” fade from modern vernacular. Still, the words we use have a lot of potential in our efforts to grow grateful kids. Certain words have staying power in a mom’s vocabulary. To grow gratitude in the hearts of our kids, we have to grab hold of four words and cultivate them in our conversations. No Children who always hear “yes” at home will anticipate “yes” from the world. Receiving a “no” isn’t only realistic, it’s routine. Daily life …

10 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Be Thankful During Thanksgiving

I can’t tell you how many times my sweet friend used to say, “Why aren’t my kids thankful?” Perhaps it’s because THANKFULNESS doesn’t come naturally and children who don’t suffer lack have a hard time understanding the concept of thankfulness. When our sons were young, we looked for ways to instill a thankful heart and compassion for others. We discovered that when we teach kids to give, they are more aware of the needs of others. And when they are more aware of the needs of others, they are more likely to grasp the concept of thankfulness. Today’s ideas give …