Sunday, October 30, 2011

how do you teach your children to be thankful?

dear emily,

it was such a thrill to have your five beautiful children this
weekend!  they are kind, respectful, thankful, affectionate,
and joyful.  you are such a loving mommy and have given us the
gift of loving your little ones.

how have you taught your children to be thankful when they have
so much?  their tummies are full of nutritious food, their bodies are
clothed with warm garments, and their hearts are fed with faith,
hope, and love.



most moms admonish their little ones to say, "thank you", which is
a great start,  but there is something more we can do that does not
require a bit of coaching.  it's easy as pie, tastes just as yummy, and
you are already good at it.

we can be grateful and express it to the fullest.  when little max
sees his mommy say "thank you" to the grocery clerk, bankteller,
and milkman (yes, i have a milkman!), little max will pick up the
habit, too.

on the other hand, if little max sees mommy complaining all day
about the terrible service she gets everywhere she goes, he will
pick up that habit even more quickly.  they do what we do more
than what we tell them to do.

i am thankful that my friend meg sent me this cute little zombie
she knit by hand.  she is so creative, and i'm always begging her
to make more of these ornery things . . . wait, he's about to knock
the lid off of my coffee pot!



love,
lea

ps.  "thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"  2 cor. 9:15



69 comments:

Farm Girl said...

Such good wisdom Lea, They always learn more from what they see than what they are taught.
I am so glad you got your present from Meg. It looks nice there getting ready to knock off the teapot lid.
She really is amazing, and she too has such sweet, well mannered, polite kiddos too. :) She is a very good mommy and knitter.I am not biased. :)

Meg said...

I think that is a very good point. I do harass my kids to say please and thank you, but I try to make sure I am doing it as well. It's just good manners! ;)

Aww, he looks so cute there! I am glad you are trying to make him more civilized by putting him with your teapot. Maybe it will rub off on him and he will change from his brain-eating ways.

Debbie Petras said...

Children learn more by what they see us doing and saying. Modeling the behavior is the best. You offer such good advice.

So sorry it's been too long since I lasted visited you. But I'm so glad to come and read this post.

Blessings and love,
Debbie

Debbie said...

Oh how true this is!! Children DO what they SEE!! And repeat WHAT they HEAR!! And it is true in soo many other areas as well. If we are anxious, fearful, unhappy, negative, sharp tongued and on and on, they do tend to pick that all up too. What a responsibility huh? I remember watching a little group of girls (around 5 or 6 years old) playing house....and they were all little parrots of their mothers. Kind of scary when you think about it....

Your gift is quite cute...and a perfect spot for him!

myletterstoemily said...

meg: hee hee!

Cinnamon said...

I love knitted little goodies. I have a knitty kneighbor that made my Rosie a little dollie. Soo cute! I'm sure she would love to have tea with your little zombie, I think :-)

If only I could remember to BE what I want my kids to be more than I remember to TELL them what they ought to be doing....good reminder :-)

~Cinnamon
p.s. my playdough came out smelling soooo good that I wanted to eat it. But so far no one has....so far!

myletterstoemily said...

cinnamon: i love the 'knitty kneighbor!'

Joan Elizabeth said...

That is an interesting point ... if I had children I guess I would have been more on my toes.

Vee said...

Oh I am surprised that you have found five delightful children all from the same family. (It recently happened to me as well.) I thought it was good training, but I see that it was good training and good modeling. A great lesson for us all!

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

Five in one family... how wonderful! You are right... kids live what they learn from their parents actions. Children are little sponges, and these 5 are absorbing from some special parents. When WE do what we teach our kids to do, then we can expect our kids to behave too. And as sure as I say that... there will always be exceptions to make us feel like we are blowing it. These 5 are a great example of the parents who are teaching them. I know it was fun for you to have them... good preparation for the years ahead! :)

Jo Royal said...

A good read on a Monday morning - to live my life in such a way that models a thankful attitude. Wisdom indeed. Manners and attitudes are easier 'caught' than 'taught'. :)
Jo

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Yes wise wisdom mother of five! How easy it is to forget to set the example.

You wrote on being thankful..I wrote on honor....each is caught more than taught.

I hope your father-in-law is doing better. I have also prayed for you as I know you are getting ready to sing in some beautiful Christmas program...lift your voice up so I can hear you in Texas.
Hugs

JMW said...

Well said. I've drilled "please" and "thank you," along with "yes mam/no mam" into my kids' heads forever. I try to walk-the-walk as well. And, when we say our prayers each night, before we ask God to pray for others, we thank Him for our blessings.

Southern Lady said...

Great post, Lea. Thankful children are happy children! Carla

Mountain Mama said...

Very cute zombie. I sure hope you saved the tea pot lid!!! "Thank you" for the reminder of being thankful!
blessings,
ashley

Jen said...

Wonderful thoughts. Momma definitely sets the tone of the home with her attitude. Poor attitudes spread so much easier than happy ones. Children will model what they see. Teaching appreciation and thankfulness can be a challenge when society encourages selfish desires. I try my best to set a positive and grateful tone, and hope my children carry it over when I am not around!

Rebecca Nelson said...

Beautiful post as always, Lea! You are ALWAYS spot on!

Thanks for visiting me!

xoRebecca

Unknown said...

Wonderful post and great wisdom!

Anita said...

I totally agree that we as adults set an example for our kids. And it's our responsible to teach them gratitude.

Sometimes it can be hard, because most children have a selfish nature, albeit innocent.

Mine are 15, 13, and 11, and it's all about them. :) I have to go to my big guns on occasion and tell them how there are entire families living in a space the size of their bedrooms somewhere in the world. :)

Fortunately, they're good girls and kindhearted.

Good letter. :)

Darcie said...

Yes, yes, yes! We teach so much more by example then we ever do my preaching all the time, huh? I am thankful for YOU, my friend!

Anonymous said...

Hi Lea, It's been a while; I am just finding you again after starting a new blog. Wishing you a blessed week. Mildred

Rosie said...

Yup once again Lea, you are a wealth of wisdom. It is really not so hard to teach our children these life lessons...if we as parents, have our own eyes on Him.
LOVE YOUR RASPBERRY TRANSFERWARE...I used to collect it too...still have a few pieces left that are special to me.
Hugs for a great week...xoxo...Rosie

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