I'm a Mom - What's Your SuperPower?

An attitude of gratitude is an important character trait for everyone to have. No one is born knowing how to demonstrate gratitude. Gratitude is a learned skill that takes time, patience, and consistency to develop. Here are a few tips on how you can help your child develop an attitude of gratitude. Demonstrate Your Attitude of Gratitude Your child is always watching you and will mimic the behavior they see in you. Model the behaviors you want your child to imitate and reinforce those behaviors verbally. For instance, during meal-time when your child helps set the table at our school, we respond with “Thank you for helping me set the table for lunch. You did a great job!” Use Those “Magic Words” Frequently Please, thank you, you’re welcome – make these magic words a solid part of your family vocabulary. Your child is learning how to interact with others by how you interact with them and with others, so it is up to you to reinforce cour...

1. Say it early, often and very clearly. Tell your child: “Never go with anyone unless you come and ask me.” With my child, we also created a passphrase. If anyone comes to pick her up that she doesn't know, she has a very specific question. If the person doesn't answer it correctly, she may not go with them. 2. Talk about uncomfortable feelings Keeping it low-key, talk about situations you know would make your child uncomfortable. Ask him if he’s ever been in one and to describe how he felt. Thinking through those situations now can help keep him safe later. But if he seems fearful while you’re talking, back off and then discuss what he’s feeling at that moment. Then talk through the scenario another time. 3. Talk about “tricky people.” The concept of strangers can be confusing to some kids. And some unsafe people are people kids know. One way to explain who to watch out for is to discuss “tricky people.” When your child is young, say, “Most people are pretty...