On being thankful

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON October 8, 2012  I heard the child say thank you and I paused because I had not heard anyone else say “Thank you” that afternoon, when everyone in the family that could make it to the house to feast at the food laden table was in the room.

We feel grateful for what we have. Some think we are entitled to all that we have and some wonder why they have so little.  The imbalance is staggering.

Thank you is not a phrase that gets all the use it could get.  We feel grateful for what we have. Some think we are entitled to all that we have and some wonder why they have so little.  The imbalance is staggering.

How does one learn to be thankful?  We aren’t born being thankful, feeling thankful.  Being thankful is something we are taught.  There isn’t a kindergarten class to teach our children how to be thankful.  We want our teachers to teach our children how to read and write and if you could teach them to be polite as well, that would be nice.

But making the teaching of thankfulness part of the core curriculum – well that would be ‘religious’ wouldn’t it?

At this time of year we look at the trees as they display all their colours and we think about being thankful – this is after all the season of Thanksgiving. It’s a little more than leaves changing their colours.

As you herd the kids out the door and off to school Tuesday, ask them to “thank” their teacher just for being their teachers.  When you begin thanking people in front of your children they’ll catch on.


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