How to instill appreciation

amother

Mon, Jun 10 2024, 8:24 pm

I’m a teacher. I’ve witnessesd many times where I go all out for my students, they don’t like one little thing, and all most of them do is complain. Every time this happened I would think to myself how I’m going to try my absolute best to make sure my kids are the ones who are not like this.
My kids are young. And it’s starting. And I would love advice on how to instill this in them. We show appreciation for every little thing, we validate feelings of frustration (we really try). In terms of modeling, not sure what else I should be doing. And my kids, specifically one of them, is starting to act like the students mentioned above. We had a whole fun day but she didn’t get to xyz? That’s all she’ll talk and complain and whine about. She’s younger than my students but I see this ending up there. What can I do?

amother

Copper

Mon, Jun 10 2024, 8:42 pm

Kids, especially young ones, are naturally self-centered and it's normal for them not to show appreciation much. But if you keep modeling, and modeling, and modeling -- I promise it will come in time. I used to cry from my kids, feeling so used and abused. Now my teens are B"H so dripping with kind words of thanks for everything. It really does eventually sink in.

Cheiny

Mon, Jun 10 2024, 8:46 pm

amother OP wrote:

Start small. You can start out by initiating this exercise at the dinner table every night… have each family member mention something good that happened that day for which they’re grateful. You can eventually graduate to having them start a daily gratitude journal and write in a notebook a few things they’re grateful for that day. It works. It makes people think into the many good things they may have never noticed before or thought about…