With Thanksgiving right around the corner (at least for those of us living in the United States!) my family has made it a tradition to spend the month of November focusing more on gratitude. Every year, on November 1st, I hang a blank “Thankful List” on the wall. Then, each day in November leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, the kids decide on something they are thankful for to add to the list.
Here are a few examples of what we’ve come up with in the past couple of years:
We started this tradition when my oldest was just three years old, so of course coming up with things to add to the list required some explanation, discussion, and help from Mom or Dad. But the process each year has really given us an opportunity to discuss what it means to be grateful for something. And, while we took time to talk about what it means to be thankful for something, we’ve never dictated what they choose to add to the list – we let them add anything that feels important to them!
It’s been fascinating to see the things they come up with over the years. They think of many of the things that I am also thankful for: family, friends, and each other. But they have also chosen things that I generally don’t take the time to be thankful for: playgrounds, trees, movie night, things that go, mountains, and clean air. They’ve also included: water, milk, doctors, the library, and light bulbs. Then there are the things that are just downright hilarious – my favorites over the years include: Oreo cookies, hammers, and monster trucks! And I have to say one of my all time personal favorites was: “wut mom does” (what mom does).
As they’ve gotten older, they’ve basically taken over this tradition for themselves. For a few years (when the little ones still couldn’t write) they’d think of something together and my oldest would write it down for them. Now that they can all write, they’ve started rotating days, with each of them writing something they are thankful for every third day. This year they are 14, 12, and 8 – and I can’t wait to see what they come up with!
Being a mom is exhausting and demanding, particularly if you are also dealing with a chronic illness and everything that comes with it. Personally, I’ve found that practicing gratitude can really help me find ways to keep facing forward, each and every day. And seeing my kids practice gratitude? Well, that might be even better!
What are you thankful for this year?
