I'm grateful for my granchildren, they bring me endless joy. They make me look forward, think about how I explain things, and marvel at their character development.
As a society we are hyper-focused on ourselves, whether it's getting ahead or our own goals, rather than others.
How can we change this paradigm? Show kids the gratitude you feel when someone does something nice for you, not just an obligatory thank you, but the feeling you got when someone thought of you. For example, someone dropped off chicken soup for me recently with a lovely not about hoping it would help me feel better. It did, and I told her not only did it give me something delicious to have for dinner but I was warmed by the thoughtful gesture. WHen you feel grateful, you want to help the person who made you feel that way and be inclined to help anotheer person.
Or tell your child about someone who was a role model for you, like Billie Jean King was for so many young female tennis players, and tell that person how much they meant to you.
I went to the graduation of a young girl who had attended my nursery school, I was filled with gratitude that she had done so well, it filled me up, and I shared that with her.
When you feel gratitude you are more generous to others, try it!
Pay it forward, be grateful this Thanksgivingb, go around the table and talk about what you are grateful for and why.
And find a school that emphasizes values like compassion, empathy, character development and joy as part of their learning trajectory.
Contact Wendy Levey Consulting, we've got this, all things education, preschool through highschool.
