Currently and unfortunately we live in a materialistic world where what seems to matter the most is having more and more, where the latest in technology is the only thing that counts and that is it seems that people are not satisfied with what they have and need more and more things. So how do you raise children to be grateful in a materialistic world where consumerism and individualism appear to be the protagonists?
Gratitude and kindness are not easy to teach children but can be achieved by example and consistent daily education. Even if you live in a materialistic world, children can be raised to be grateful. Having the latest technology will not make you a better person, so if you want to teach your children, you must teach them that you have to be so not only because of what you have but because of the opportunities that life offers them every day.
The benefits of gratitude
A child who is grateful will be a happier child., with greater emotional intelligence, with greater inner strength, they will less tend to suffer from depression and envy will never be a problem in their life. But if you do not know how you can educate your children to grow up being grateful in a world as materialistic as the one we currently find ourselves in, then keep reading because the advice that you will find below will undoubtedly be of your help and your interest.
Be the best example
To model behavior in children, the best thing you can do is be the best example. Children learn things thanks to the example of their parents, and it is that if you tell them to be grateful but then you do not behave in a way so that they see in you a good example ... it does not matter what words you say to them, because that incoherence will make you think that you are not right and they will act according to what they see.
It is important that they see you give thanks
Your children should see how you thank people for what you should do out loud. You can be grateful to anyone who interacts with you throughout the day, such as the cashier at the grocery store, your neighbor, a person at the bank who holds the door for you when you leave, etc. You should be specific and tell those people why you are grateful: "Thank you for being so nice", "Thank you for holding the door", and so on. This way, your child can understand what the other's act of kindness is for which you are grateful.
Make gratitude a part of your daily life
In order to train your children to be grateful, you will need to make gratitude a part of your daily life. For example, when you sit down to eat with your whole family, you should mention exactly what you are grateful for: "thank you for being all together", "thank you for such good food." It is possible that your children will ask who you are thanking, and you will simply have to answer for example: "to the life that allows me to enjoy you every day". If your child sees this in you every day, without realizing it you will be cultivating a great seed of gratitude in them.
A thank you journal
Keeping a thank you journal is a great way to be grateful. Normally people when they write the things that happen to them during the day, they usually complain because not everything is how they would like it to be and for this reason they write: to vent. But instead of venting for bad things, why not vent for good things? It is turning the tables and writing to feel good ... you can write for all the good that happens to you every day, Leaving aside the negative things that take away your energy. But if you want your children to learn about this, an excellent idea is to give them the idea of doing it themselves ... but tell them that they should not only thank them for what they have, but for the good things that happen to them.
Change your perspective
You need to teach your children to have fun and be happy no matter what else. Who says work or school has to be boring? Instead of thinking "I have to do this," it is better to think things like, "I have a chance to do this." It is something very simple that will help you feel more grateful for what you do and for what you have… Something that will undoubtedly be an excellent model for your children to follow today.
Simple things are the most important
Life is simpler than we want to think, and that is that simplicity matters so it is necessary to keep things simple because that way your children will begin to realize that the little things are the most important in life ... so they can learn to appreciate everything more. Try to teach your children to understand how important it is to be grateful in life.
Volunteer
It is important that your child sees from a young age the need to do things for others, being a volunteer helps to understand other realities more disadvantaged than oneself and this helps us to be able to offer our hands to others and to be more grateful in our daily life. If you have the opportunity to be grateful even once a month, you can encourage your children to accompany you (as long as their age allows it) and so they realize how important it is to help others and to be able to feel grateful for the little things in life.
Teach gratitude every day
It is necessary for your child to learn to say thank you and for this your child must learn to do it. Teach them in the daily moments when it is appropriate to say thank you, for example to the teacher, in the supermarket, writing a thank you note to someone special, etc.