Create Thankful Kids All Year Long

Posted November 24, 2009

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Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2009 by Jackie Morgan MacDougall

Have you noticed the holiday music and decorations have begun even earlier this year? You know everyone's getting in the spirit when my 87-year-old neighbor is already scaling his house, adding lights, wreaths and that creepy moving Santa on the roof (I swear that thing is staring at me). But before we get all caught up in tinsel and mad shopping, can we please take a minute to soak in the beauty that is Thanksgiving? Not only is it a day of crazy-delicious food and listening to the rantings of Uncle Bill on everything from politics to "kids these days," it's a perfect opportunity to kick off a season of giving thanks and teaching our kids to do the same.

But some moms I've talked to are struggling to fit those important life lessons in between the cooking, decorating and shopping. So I reached out to my trusty online friends to get their tips for creating thankful children.

One thing we have done the past few years is to have our own little family food drive. We invite our friends and family to donate food to our drive and then we will bring it to the food pantry. We let the kids pick out some of their favorite items to donate. They go so excited! Also, last year I made a huge turkey out of construction paper and pasted it on a piece of poster board. We emailed our friends and family and asked them to tell us one thing they were thankful for. For each "thankful" we received we wrote it down on a feather (which I also cut out of construction paper) and glued it on the turkey. -- Christine D.

This whole topic is something I have thought a lot about lately. A few years back when we adopted our son from Ethiopia we removed the phrase "I'm starving" from our home's vocabulary. We just aren't. We may be hungry from time to time but nothing even remotely close to what the greater part of this world is experiencing on a daily basis. I discovered lately that any family with an income of at least 45k is in the top 5% of the world earners and that even those in the US on welfare are in the world's top 50%. My son came from a country where the average annual income is $125. We are rich. I want my children to see that and to be so very thankful. I think the best way to create thankful children is to be thankful people. -- Brenda H

When my daughter was old enough to earn an allowance, we made a savings plan. We split her allowance into 3. 1/3 went into savings, 1/3 she could spend on whatever she wanted and the last 1/3rd had to go to charity. She got to choose the charity which has changed throughout the years and would often bring the money to them in person. After we did this, she began coming up with her own ways to raise money for some of the things that mattered to her. -- Moira L

I found the perfect turkey tradition that I plan to keep for a long, long time. We've started the "Feeding the Turkey" tradition where you Google a turkey coloring page, print, color, cut and apply to a paper bag/box, jar, etc. On a piece of paper, type or write: I am thankful for ____________. Every day, each family member can write down what it is they are thankful for. On Thanksgiving, you can then read them together as a family! It's inexpensive, meaningful, involving and nurturing and my kids are engaged. They were so involved with creating it and gathering the info that they decided that they wanted to do this with the ENTIRE family on Thanksgiving. - Joie F

If we are asking that she is to share, give, be kind to/with others, then we need to live our lives as such. -- Shawna V

All such fantastic tips, I know I'm going to incorporate a few into our family. Take a minute or two this year and help your children see how blessed you truly are. It's a lesson that could carry them for a lifetime. Oh and don't forget to wear stretchy pants. Those pumpkin pie calories can add up.

Jackie Morgan MacDougall, on the never-ending quest for balance, enjoys life in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeff, and their three small kids. Read more of her take on parenting, kids and everything else on The Silver Whining.

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