728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Holidays: Winter › A Time to Be Thankful

A Time to Be Thankful

Cultivating Gratitude in Children During the Holidays

By Melissa Granberry

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

According to Barry Neil Kaufman, founder of The Option Institute in Sheffield, Mass., and author of Happiness Is a Choice (Ballantine Books, 1994), statistics show that during the holiday season, there is a noticeable increase in suicide. He suggests that something about family gatherings emphasizes for many of us that we are alone. "However, if our parents had modeled ... that this very special time of the year is a time for deep appreciation and celebration for what we have, I have no doubt that these statistics would be reversed," says Kaufman. "We, now as parents, have the opportunity to 'guide' to gratitude – to open our hearts to the wonder of what is around us (even during times of challenge)."

Kaufman says the holidays present a great opportunity to love our children and guide them with gratitude. "If we celebrate our own parents and friends, if we express appreciation to our children and if we vocalize our blessings, we teach our children to grasp the bounty of what is rather than linger on what isn't," he says.

To start the holiday season with a feeling of gratitude, Lynnette Harris from Logan, Utah, uses a family gratitude book. This blank book comes out every year with the Thanksgiving decorations. Her husband, Scott, and their three children take turns writing down what they are thankful for during the holiday season. "Children who are too young to write can dictate r draw a picture in the book," says Harris. "We love to look back at previous years and read our entries."

Just being together as a family and taking a break from all of the holiday chaos can inspire your children to reflect on all the good things about their life. "Focus on spending time together as a family," says Stacy DeBroff, author of The Mom Book: 4,278 of Mom Central's Tips (Free Press, 2002) and founder of www.momcentral.com

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.