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Expressing our Gratitude as a Family

We are now concluding our seven week home-exchange holiday in France.  It’s been a wonderful summer full of memorable experiences.  There is a lot for which we are feeling grateful.  Last night was our last family dinner together, thus the perfect opportunity to go around the table and hear for what each of us was feeling thankful.  We all highlighted specific events and places that have been meaningful, and both my husband and I shared how much we have enjoyed having such concentrated family time – a unique opportunity that we have truly cherished.  We have also been expressing our gratitude to others such as taking maple syrup and a card to the doctor at emergency who helped my daughter with her double-fractured elbow, and writing thank you cards to the three home-exchange families that made this trip possible.

Scientific Research Now Documents the Benefits of Expressing Gratitude

In the book, Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Dr. Robert A. Emmons, research documents that people who kept weekly gratitude journals for ten weeks were 25% happier than the control groups.  This two minute exercise of writing down five things for which they were grateful, once/week, produced these dramatic results.  Other research has demonstrated that showing thanks helps others feel socially valued and appreciated and further encourages positive social behaviour.  Acting grateful, being grateful and thinking grateful thoughts are all beneficial for our positive mental health.  Our Ego will always find ways to compare ourselves to others who appear to be better off, or worse off.  However, it is ultimately the present moment that counts.  We need to show our appreciation in the moment, before the opportunity is gone.  Showing our children how to be thankful is one the greatest gifts we can give them.

The Temperament Trait of Mood

To continue with my series on the nine traits of temperament, the trait of Mood ties in very well with the topic of gratitude.  Research has discovered that some infants inherently have a more serious disposition and are therefore more easily distressed and less amused than infants with less serious dispositions.  These more serious individuals tend to also be more analytical and think more deeply.

As with all temperament traits, there is no right or wrong and each end of the continuum has its positives and negatives.  It is important to teach your child about their disposition as these are the children who may open a birthday present from a relative and openly say “I don’t like it”.  They are not trying to be rude, their analysis of the gift has come up with this opinion.  Likewise, the same child may really like a gift but only show a small smile.  It’s important to validate your child’s analytical skills and to teach them to see the positives in a situation.  Practicing gratitude is an excellent way of building the habit of positive-thinking.

Now seems the opportune time to thank all of you who have become weekly subscribers to my blog, to thank you for your e-mails and positive feedback, and for following along with me on this seven week adventure in France.  Next week’s blog will focus on the temperament trait of Adaptability and how to make transitions easier – a particular relevant topic as we transition from summer holidays to the routine of school.

I would love to hear about your experiences of keeping a gratitude journal or going around your family dinner table once/week expressing thankfulness.

Warmly,