What if...I want to instill gratitude in my kids?

Part 2 of 2

We’ve yet to meet a mom whose kids haven’t kvetched and complained about something. Their blue jeans didn’t make it through the laundry in time for a Friday night party. The grocery store was sold out of their favorite kind of breakfast cereal. The drive-thru lane at the fast food joint gave them the wrong sauce for their cheese curds.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our first world homeschool problems that it becomes easy to overlook all the small, everyday things we really need to be grateful for.

What if your family took a step back to seriously consider all the things we have to be grateful for. Help your kids understand just how good they’ve got it (even with life’s little inconveniences).

• Try spending the next week without ice. Drink room temperature tap water sitting on the countertop in a pitcher. Enjoy a nice fizzy but warm soft drink.

• Take things a step further and skip the chilled fruit from the fridge. Go without ice cream or any frozen treats.

• Have the kids wash their clothes in the bathtub and then let them drip dry on hangers.

• Turn off all the devices — including the television! — and spend the evening reading, playing games, or working on a craft project.

• Cook everything from scratch. No instant this or microwave that.

It may sound a bit extreme (and we didn’t even suggest going without hot water!!), but sometimes a heft dose of reality helps up the gratitude quotient around the house.

And if you think about it…the whole thing could even be considered a social studies lesson!

All best!