Motherhood: Gratitude – An Important Virtue Needed For Children’s Emotional Growth 6

Jans-Beken (et al., 2020) define gratitude as both a feeling and a trait.

A more detailed definition of this virtue is provided by the American Psychological Association (n.d.), which describes it as a feeling of happiness and appreciation in reaction to a fortunate coincidence or material gift.

It is so evident that there are many reasons to encourage children to feel and express appreciation.

A child’s disposition to the act of gratitude is influenced by how they view the world. Do your kids concentrate on what they have or what they lack? A grateful mindset can help open more doors of opportunity and blessing for your children, just as glasses can help clear vision. Being around grateful children is more enjoyable than being around resentful, and selfish children.

The act of gratitude is not just an emotion, it also involves action. It is showing others through our words and deeds how they have enriched our lives. Finding something to be grateful for despite challenges is the true measure of appreciation.

According to Stephen Covey, “Gratitude originates from the heart and then opens our eyes to the beauties of nature and the richness of our most treasured relationships.”

Unfortunately, the act of gratitude is not a trait that comes naturally; rather, it is something that needs to be developed. How can we instill gratitude in children? Some of the ways by which we can do this were discussed in my previous articles

Here are other tips we can adopt to encourage our children to always express gratitude.

Be a Role Model.
Children learn gratitude through seeing us, just as it is said that they learn more from what they see than from what they are told. Children are like tiny sponges, taking up everything they are exposed to. So make sure they can see and hear your appreciation.

Catch your kid doing something right!
Allow your toddler to hear you give brief compliments about what they have done to another person. This simple technique quickly eliminates undesired behaviors like rudeness or unkindness while enhancing caring behaviors like expressing “thank you,” “being patient,” and “generous.”

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Bye!