If you have not written thank you notes for Christmas yet, it is never too late to show gratefulness (although I think Emily Post says try to do it within two weeks). I know getting kids to write thank you notes is no easy task, so last weekend, I employed my husband's help. First, I got out all the paints, stencils, and paper - to add the fun factor. Then I took captive all the things my kids had received for Christmas. My husband broke the news that they could not have their gifts back AT ALL if they had not written a thank you note for it without complaining before bedtime. He is a hardcore genius! This method worked much better than my idea of just keeping their presents until a note was written eventually. I admit that I was worried I would end up with some barely used Christmas presents in my possession. However, once they started painting, the initial shock and crankiness wore off quickly and they actually had a fun night of creativily showing their true gratefulness.
So to answer the title question: No, you cannot force kids to be grateful in their heart, but you can require them to show gratefulness. The beauty in this above example, and that I experience often personally, is that my heart is sometimes reluctant to have the right attitude. However, when my right actions and right thoughts lead the way, my heart attitude usually follows.
Do you have any good ideas that you would like to share about teaching your kids gratefulness?
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