Gratefulness vs. Unthankfulness or Pride
Letting others know by my words and actions how they have benefited my life. ~ CharacterFirst.com Showing gratitude has always been hard for me. I'm shy, reserved, and tend to doubt people's sincerity. I also don't show my emotions easily around a lot of people. Family through the years took that as ingratitude. I was completely unaware of it until I overheard someone once when I was about 13 years old. After that, I made more of an effort to observe how others showed their gratefulness and tried to show more enthusiasm for the gifts and attention I received. Because of this, I've tried hard to teach my children how to show their gratitude properly to others. |
Ways to teach gratefulness:
- Teach "Thank you". We even taught it in sign language before the children could actually say it. Please & Thank You were basic signs we started with that started the habit of always saying Please & Thank You for anything they wanted.
- Insist on a smile. This was hard for me at first, then I learned smiling is contagious. I would smile at the children when I reminded them to say "Thank you".
- Show them how to choose others over themselves. Anytime our children have the opportunity to go with their father, I enthusiastically encourage them to go even if they have other things they'd rather do. I've also actively encouraged them to give their attention to visitors; listening to grandparents stories attentively without interrupting and playing what friends want to play instead of their own desires.
- Dress gratefully. This may seem odd in today's casual atmosphere, but it does show special gratitude & honor when you put effort into your appearance for someone else's sake.
- Serve others together. Show your children how to be grateful by serving others. If someone has cooked a nice meal, offer to help clean up.
- Send Thank you notes! This is something that has gone by the wayside along with hand-written letters. Don't let the internet rob us of the personal touch of hand-written thank you notes.
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