Gratefulness Begins with Mom

During the holidays we often turn our thoughts to being grateful.

How do we instill gratefulness quality in our children?

If we want our children to have a heart of thankfulness, then we need to realize that…..

Gratitude begins with mom.

If I want to teach my children to be thankful and show gratitude. First, I must be thankful and show gratitude.

There is no better way to cultivate a heart of gratefulness than to spend time with the Lord every day. I know that this is hard! Exhaustion is real for all mamas. At different stages of parenting, it is almost impossible to carve out a quiet time with the Lord, a place to be alone, think, and meditate on Him.

Here are a couple of verses to help remind you to be grateful and live it out loud at home, around your children.

When the toilet overflows, the dog vomits on your new carpet, you and the baby had a hard night and wakes up with an awful cough, your preteen is having a major attitude, and your in-laws are due to arrive that evening, how do you respond.

Do you give thanks when these situations arise?

I’ll be honest. I don’t!

But we always have a choice. Do we react or respond?

The ONLY way I can even begin to be sure I respond instead of reacting is with help from the Lord. When I do react in a way that is not beneficial for my children to see, I need to humble myself before by children and have a talk.

Today, Mom did not respond in the way I should have. It was a hard day for me, but that is not an excuse. When days like this happen, we need to look for the good in the circumstance and have an attitude of gratefulness.

• I am thankful that we have a toilet, even when it’s not working properly. Can you imagine having to walk outside to an outhouse just to use the toilet? Many people in this world don’t have a bathroom in their house.
• I am so thankful that God gave us the money we needed to buy the new carpet and strong hands and arms to clean up messes.
• Your baby sister is not feeling well. She and I had a long night. Isn’t it so good to know that God has given us doctors and medicine to help us when we need it?
• Aren’t Grandpa and Grandma the best. We are so blessed to have them in our lives! I am so happy they are coming tonight!
• Please forgive me for my rotten attitude this morning.
• I love you, and when you have a hard day or a rotten attitude, I will gently remind you to be thankful. I will ALWAYS love you and be there for you.
• I am so thankful that God let me be YOUR mom!
• What is something that didn’t quite go your way today but that you can give thanks for?“

Mama…..

Are you thankful for the ability to homeschool? What has homeschooling taught you?

I encourage you to take a minute and write down five specific things you have learned. How has God shaped you through homeschooling? Keep it somewhere visible and thank him. Ask him to give you gratefulness in action and in deed and watch your children learn to do the same!

Want to read the complete post? Find it here.

To help you out, I’ve created a simple 30 Day Gratitude Challenge Printable. Each person in your family should have their own printable. At dinner time or bedtime, let your kids write what they are thankful for that day. There is enough space on the printable to let your kids write what they are thankful for that day.

Younger kids can use the printable with prompts for each day. Even preschoolers can take on the challenge with the thank you prompts on the printable. Actually, I’m sending a copy to my daughter who has a 3-year old. The prompts are a simple way to stay focused on thankfulness all of November.

For, older kids and parents, I suggest writing at least 3 things you are thankful for each day. Once you sign up, you’ll receive an email with specific ideas for older kids.

Be sure to check back here (or sign up for our email updatesat the top of this post) throughout November for lots of great ideas to help you teach gratitude to your kids. For now, take the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge and get your free printables below.

Michelle Osborn is the owner and founder of Yellow House Book Rental, specializing in providing homeschool curriculum for rent or purchase, as well as counseling and guidance for homeschool families. She is a wife of 31years, a 22-year homeschool veteran, and mom of four amazing children and five adorable grandchildren. Three of her children are now entrepreneurs, running their own businesses and doing quite well. Michelle’s passions include serving by leading worship at her church and encouraging homeschool moms through one on one, social media and speaking engagements. She has found her niche in helping parents homeschooling their teens through the high school years and on to pursue their dreams. You can also join her in her Facebook Community

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