Here are four ways to live with an attitude of gratitude.

STEP 1 -Count Blessings Out Loud

Begin the day with a good morning smile and an acknowledgment of what a wonderful day it is. Point out that the birds are singing each morning. Say to your children, “I’m happy that you’re my kid.” Make a habit of beginning the day by listing the tiniest blessings. If you’ve got a roof over head and food to eat, you’re blessed. Even if it’s rainy and gloomy outdoors you can be grateful that you have a raincoat and boots.

Beginning the day with a frown and pessimistic attitude may be automatic when times are tough, however beginning the day with a smile and gratitude for all that we do have is better. Make a gratitude poster together and hang it where family members can add to it each day. An attitude of gratitude turns anxiety and fear into confidence.

STEP 2 – Practice Random Acts of Kindness

Parents set examples of gratitude by behaving kindly. Allowing the person with one item to move to the front of you in the grocery store line teaches children more about giving and sharing than lectures. Sharing comes easily when you live a life of gratitude. It’s harder to teach sharing when your focus is on material possessions, wealth and acquiring more than you need.

Ask yourself, Where is my focus?, What are my priorities? Kindness and gratitude, like birds of a feather, travel together, and that is a valuable message for children to see parents demonstrate.

STEP 3 – Sincerely Praise Children for Sharing

Never scold a child for not sharing. Scolding belittles and has the opposite outcome. Scolding discourages children. Praising inspires them. Talk about the joy of allowing the car next to you to merge, talk about the pleasure of sharing popsicles on a hot day with the neighbors, explain the happiness that comes with letting a friend have a turn on the swing.

Help your child remember grandparents’ birthdays by picking out a card and writing a handwritten note. Incorporate simple acts of sharing into daily life. Do something kind to help each other, just because it’s fun, and let your children help in the activity. Gratitude grows when you plant seeds of sharing.

STEP 4 – Take the Lead and Say “Thank You”

Every action and every word has an effect. Be alert and mindful of your attitude and behavior toward family members. Treat family with the utmost kindness and appreciation. When adults care only for themselves, when they treat strangers better than their own family, when they are selfish and self-centered, children see that and mimic that behavior.

A simple “thank you” from a parent to a child can spur the child to handing out thankful responses too. Gratitude and happy living go together and bolster the belief that good things have arrived and are still coming.

Related posts:

1. Angry Children – When Rage Rules Your Family
2. How to Speak Kindly to Your Children
3. Getting Your Children to Do What You Say