Raising Grateful Kids

Yesterday at the store, after spending a good time grocery shopping - with 2, for the first time. Ash and I had told Cy he could ride a little ride if he was good. Well, after shopping - he was good, so we put in the .50 cents and off he went! How fun is that?! I don't recall getting to ride many of those things growing up - what a privilege!!!

Ride stops.
Toddler screams.
Toddler screams ALL the way to the car.

Hmm.... Daddy and Mommy stare at each other.

We started talking right then and there about gratefulness. Cy just got to ride a FUN car, yet here he is, screaming for more instead of being thankful for that one ride. How do we raise grateful children? The Lord says to be grateful in everything... and I want to raise Godly children, who are loving, grateful, kind, and have a strong faith in the Lord. So the question has been on my mind - HOW do I raise Cy to be grateful? When does this grateful begin? When do I start teaching him this concept?

So as I was speaking with my friend, Erin today - she brought up a point that floored me. What about MY gratefulness to the Lord? How often has He blessed me and my family, and I go back to Him and ask for more? I know he wants to bless us, the same way I want to give Cy everything he asks for. But how often do I THANK the Lord for His blessings??

There was a song on the radio that gave me goosebumps on the way home from Erin's - Cost of Living by Ronnie Dunn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghZlwCFYpYc

It talks about a man, looking for a job and at one point he says "I know there's only 5 spots" for the job - and says he's a hard worker. He needs the job. His last job he lost took the clothes off his kid's backs and food off the table. WOW! With unemployment being what it is - how blessed am I to have a husband with a job?! And to go further than that - how blessed am I to have a husband with such a great job, that I can stay HOME with the kids and be a FULL TIME mom?! What a BLESSING!!!

It floored me and made me so grateful in that moment. I am so blessed! Though my days may be hard at times, and at times I don't know how we are going to pay bills - we make do! We get by and through it all - we are BLESSED! Blessed with 2 wonderful kids who are just the most beautiful, healthy children EVER ;-), an apartment to keep us cool and warm (despite the noisy neighbors - at least I have neighbors!), cars that might break down from time to time and cause stress but we have cars, Food on the table each meal, family, friends, .... the list goes on.

And no matter how hard it gets, we are still better off than someone else. You are too. It can always get worse. So today I am focusing on being grateful. Well... being grateful & trying to figure out how to teach my children to also be grateful ;-)