Teach Your Kids to Appreciate the Little Things

Taking the time to smile upon the good things in your life will help you (and your children) keep perspective.

It's April, and spring has finally sprung! The sun is shining and flowers, bursting with color, are pushing up through the warming ground. Life is insanely busy, but for just two minutes go ahead and jump off the merry-go-round, and take a deep breath. Appreciate nature's miraculous offerings of the season. Now, do you think you can do this for a couple of minutes every day? I'd like you to try it!

It's so easy to get caught up in our busy, aggravating, stressful, and sometimes even mundane lives that we don't always take the time to appreciate the beauty in our children; nor do we take the time to teach them to appreciate the positive in their own lives.

To begin your daily two minutes of reflection, ask yourself this question: "As a parent, what am I most grateful about today?" Is it the sweet kiss that you got as you left for work? That, just this once, your teenager didn't argue with you? That siblings helped each other with homework?
Some days the answer will come easily to you - in fact, you may have a long list that makes you feel grateful. However, on more stressful parenting days, feeling appreciative of your child may be somewhat more challenging. These are the days it is most important to stop for a moment to ask yourself the question - and then really search until you find a meaningful answer. Doing so will help you keep a clear perspective on what is most important in your life as a parent. No matter how upset, angry, or frustrated you may be right now, you can find the beauty in your relationship with your child when you stop and look for it. You simply have to take the time to stop and do so.
This is also an important skill to teach your child. Begin by helping him ask himself the following question each night before going to sleep: "What was the best thing about today?" Was it that we had outdoor recess? Am I happy because I made a new friend? Did I have my favorite lunch? Did the teacher give me a compliment? Did I get my homework done really quickly?