An attitude of gratitude - year round

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So, Thanksgiving has passed and the Facebook "thankful lists" may have waned a bit.  The holiday season and Black Friday shopping has gone into full force. 

How is the "thankful meter" in your home today? Do your kids have an attitude of thankfulness year round?  Are you modeling this attitude for them?

You can't force a person be thankful.  You can't nag your kids into an attitude of gratitude.  Besides, who likes a nag, right?!  But...there are various positive ways to model and help instill an attitude of thankfulness in kids.

Teachable moments are everywhere.  Opportunities throughout each day that present themselves as ways to create an environment of gratitude.

Learning how others around the world live is one way to remind ourselves and our children how much most of us really do have to be thankful for.

Did you know?:

A 5 minute shower uses approximately 10 gallons of water.  In developing countries, the average person uses 5 gallons or less per day. 

Not only is that true, but it is an interesting fact that reminds those of us with long hot showers what we have.

If you feel that thankfulness is a distant relative in your home, here are a few ways to help foster an attitude of gratitude:

1. Encourage kids to keep a daily thankful journal.
2. As a family, experience a day without some luxuries that you are accustomed to. example #1 Store 5 gallons of water in jugs/bottles and use only that during a day to experience how other people around the world live.  example #2 Eat only rice and beans one day - all 3 meals.
3. Cut down on the complaining. Break the habit of complaining and go 24 hours without complaining even one time.
4. Don't overindulge. There are many ways to truly learn the value of a dollar.  Have kids earn some of the luxuries they think they "need" by doing chores, selling items they no longer use, getting a job, etc. 
5. Encourage a spirit of giving. Find ways to serve and give to others as a family. Serve at a soup kitchen.  Cut down on gift spending and give to a favorite charity.
6. Help [them] understand that gifts are thoughtful gestures, not just a way for him to score materialistic gain," says Claire Lerner - a child development specialist.

So, two days after Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for TODAY?