We teach it to our kids at the same time we are trying to explain potty training. Saying thank you has been a big part of my grandkids education and their parents should be very proud - they are the most well-mannered kids I know. We all want our kids to be thankful for who and what they have in their lives so they don't turn out to be spoiled brats. May sound harsh, there is nothing like learning about gratitude early in life.
Wish thankfulness was a default setting on the human hard drive but sadly, it is not. We get all caught up on what is not going right, how unfair life is and where we need to be that we are not thankful for what is right in front of us. None of us is exempt, no one.
I worked on this little layout and plan to keep it near. I don't think I have said a heartfelt thank since Wednesday when the sinus headache dug in for an extended visit. Pain isn't an excuse but it does make it more difficult to get one's bearings. Waiting for fall and longing for something of meaning to take photos of, brings me to a frustration level between Severe and High.
I am thoroughly convinced that the more time we spend being grateful, the more our lives will make sense. There is a direct correlation between being thankful and not needing/wanting more. Being grateful affects our money, time and the way we see the world.
I was not raised in a home where the thank you's were obvious. I don't remember saying them or having them being said to me, but I do remember being hit for not saying it when an unspoken rule to express the sentiment was not observed, usually when we were in someone else's home.
It doesn't come natural, it never will but with a little practice, it quickly becomes obvious how important two little words can be...
