Anne Andrew
  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • My Approach
    • In the Media
  • Blog
  • Online Course
  • Book
  • Contact
  • Gratitude

Thanksgiving: Not just a holiday, but a way of life that leads to happiness.

10/9/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
It’s both Canadian Thanksgiving and the Jewish thanksgiving festival of Sukkot this weekend, so it would be remiss of me not to mention the power of gratitude in raising happy children. In my opinion, the single most important thing that you can do to help children to grow up with a positive attitude is to have a gratitude habit as a family. Scientific studies have linked gratitude with happiness – it’s a defense against depression. If you don’t already have a family gratitude habit, Thanksgiving would be a great time to start. Here are a few suggestions:
  1. Decide on a time. Will this be a daily thing or once a week? At bedtime? After school? At dinner?
  2. Decide on a place. Will this be in the car between activities? At the kitchen or dining room table? In the den on movie night? In bed?
  3. Decide how: Will this be just one parent with one child? Will the whole family be involved at the same time? Who goes first? Do you want to pass a token such as a talking stick around the family circle? Will you record each gratitude in a journal? Will gratitude be expressed for one thing or five things? After each person has said what they are grateful for will you have a second round? Will you incorporate any other rituals such as lighting candles or putting a quarter in a money bank for each gratitude and donating it to a charity?
  4. I recommend being very specific and having an adult go first. This way you will teach children to notice the wonder of the world around them and the kindnesses that people extend every day. For example, if you say “I’m grateful for the colors of the leaves that have fallen in the street” or “I’m grateful for the smile I received from a woman at the grocery store today”, then children will begin to be more specific as well and they’ll be looking for things to say for their next gratitude session.
Prepare to be amazed – this can reduce whining and increase family cohesion and positivity. There’s really no downside!
If there are any teachers reading this – please consider having a classroom gratitude habit at the beginning or end of each day if you don’t already.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

     I know firsthand the emotional and financial costs of having a troubled teenager and I don’t want that to happen to you. That's why I wrote my book What They Don't Teach in Prenatal Class: The Key to Raising Trouble-Free Kids and Teens (available on Amazon). 
    My goal is to reduce the incidence of teen suicide and addiction. It can be done by challenging the negative beliefs that our kids develop in early childhood and helping them to become aware of their Inherent Worth. 

    Archives

    April 2022
    December 2021
    April 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017

    Categories

    All
    Behaviour
    Bullying
    Disordered Eating
    Gratitude
    Growth
    Happiness
    Inherent Worth
    Mindfulness
    Negative Beliefs
    Parenting
    Parenting Priorities
    Perfectionism
    Screen Time
    Self Esteem
    Success
    Suicide Prevention
    Tools And Tips
    Unconditional Love Series

    RSS Feed

get in touch

Email: [email protected]      Tel: (1) 604 720 2776

Sign Up to my newsletter

Get information and articles about how to raise happy, mentally-healthy, and addiction-free kids! 
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • My Approach
    • In the Media
  • Blog
  • Online Course
  • Book
  • Contact
  • Gratitude