Gratitude is Caught

This semester, I'm teaching Parenting and Family Decisions at a university. The class is great; it meets early in the morning (I'm a morning person), the students take copious notes and contribute to the discussion (makes teaching easier), and we've taken field trips and enjoyed guest speakers (adds variety).
Well, we're nearing semester's end and moving into the busy holiday season. Thanksgiving is around

How do you "teach" Christmas?

Since discipline is about teaching; I encourage you to "teach" your value of Christmas through your behavior and words. In today's blog I want to share ways parents and others teach kids about Christmas. Two weeks ago, I tweeted asking followers to share how they celebrate. Below are some of those wonderful replies;

Sara in Iowa wrote, "On Christmas morning, we enjoy our OWN little family, at home as we open our gifts together. When we feel like getting out of the house, we go over to Jim's Mother's house to do our gift exchange there.
Then later on Christmas day, all of Jim's family that is in town is always invited over to Jim's Mom's to just hang out. We usually wind up going out to the sledding hill and everyone gets to have fun--young and old. (I usually am the one taking the pictures.) And we hang around with Jim's family all day until we are ready to go home and crash.
And somewhere among the weeks leading up to Christmas, we always try to get out to the famous local Kirsten's Christmas lights (just north of Vinton). Payton (our son) really enjoys that."

Terry, grandma to a 5-year-old tweeted, "Our family gets together at 3:00 at my sisters to celebrate Christmas Eve. She will supply a ham and the rest of us all bring a dish to share. We sing the 12 Days of Christmas together as a family (with Mitch Miller) in the background to keep us in tune. There are many cookies, candlelight and laughs. This year we will celebrate the birth of a new baby boy who will be 1 week old on Christmas- Caleb. After the celebration my husband and I go to Midnight Mass and than turn in to wait for Christmas Day and celebrate Christ's birthday."

Lois, a VA follower replied, "One of my favorite ways we celebrate Christmas is by using an Advent Calendar. Each homemade felt ornament goes along with scripture verses - all telling the story of Christmas. My favorite ornament is a Jack-in-the-box, depicting the rapture of Jesus Christ. When our children were home, we put a piece of candy in each pocket for the five of us."

Ann of NY shared, "We celebrate Christmas by having the kids put together the tree, and Mom puts on the lights. On Christmas Day, we all wait until everyone is awake, and we all go downstairs to open presents at the same time. We eat Orange Danish with Grandma for breakfast, and then spend the rest of the day visiting with family. I hope that you have a blessed Christmas."

I echo Ann, by hoping each of you has a blessed Christmas ~ there's always something to celebrate.

Messages We Send

Months ago I tweeted about the words we say to children. Often we're innocent to the discouraging messages behind our words and, over time, those messages have a collective, disheartening effect on kids.

Consider these common (I've said 'em, too!) statements:

"Be Careful!" could send the message, "The world is a scary place."

"Shame on you!" could send the message, "Discourage yourself."

"Be nice" may be heard as, "You're not usually nice."

"Stop being so sensitive" can mean, "Don't express your emotions" or "Don't feel."

Here are positive - or encouraging - words that mean the same but send a different message:

Rather than "Be Careful!" say, "Take care of yourself."

Instead of, "Shame on you!" say, "I've made bad choices too."

Replace, "Be nice" with "Make sure your friends win too."

For "Stop being so sensitive" say, "I like that you're listening to your feelings."

None of these condone inappropriate behavior. But they do make your guidance more of a teaching tool.

In your daily discipline ~ reframe your words to send uplifting messages. You aren't diluting your authority, you're doing it with a powerful, positive attitude.

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Teaching about Thanksgiving

Discipline is about teaching. How are you disciplining your child(ren) the meaning and significance of Thanksgiving? In some homes, families gather around the table for fun dinnertime conversation -- and a little chaos. Some families spend the day passing out meals at a homeless shelter. My friend decided she and her family would spend the night in a Hilton Inn, enjoy a leisurely day together then hit the malls on Black Friday.

Whatever you do, I hope you remember the value of spending uninterrupted time with your children! It is YOU they look up to; you're on a pedestal. Your attitude and behaviors are picked up by your little, eager learners.

Did you know President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national celebration to unite our country? In 1863 he forever set the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

Why am I writing about Thanksgiving in the hot summer months? I hope you enjoy the spirit of gratitude with your children all year. Remember to teach about thanks and giving each day. There is always something to be thankful for.