Birthday season is wrapping up in our house. It spans from mid-May to mid-July. The last one is today! It’s a particularly sentimental one for me too, marking my foray into motherhood six years ago.
We’ve had two months filled with balloons and pools and camping and cupcakes and chocolate tarts and good beer, depending on the celebrant. Or not. We’ve also made and written many, many thank you cards to our generous friends and family. Each one presents an opportunity to create art, choose someone to share it with, and reflect on their kindness and generosity. It’s a regular practice around here to feel grateful.
With each passing year, though, The Thank You Card seems to be falling more and more out of favor. It’s become about as quaint as a telephone cord.
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If adults choose not to show basic grace and courtesy, that’s one thing. They can easily chalk it up to being too busy. But to not teach a child that value?! To not even introduce it as an important exchange with another person is unfathomable to me. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but this is one tradition I highly value.
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Whenever someone does or says something kind to your child, I imagine you respond, “What do you saaaay?” …wondering when your child will learn to spit this out on her own. We want to hear the appropriate response, even if it lacks genuine feeling.
Yet it seems so many parents miss the opportunity for the child to cialis generic canadian the gratitude. Thank you cards offer the perfect opportunity for the child to give back (with art and/or kind words) on her own terms.
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Remember, young kids are self-focused. They are wired that way. Because of that, they are better able to express genuine gratitude on their own terms. In their own time.
Now, that’s not saying that you shouldn’t prompt your child to say “thank you” when appropriate. This is still important. But after the party has ended or the grandparents have left, it is equally important to help your child reflect on the generosity of friends and family and follow this through a demonstration of their appreciation.
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Once a child can hold a crayon, he can help with the card. He can decorate it. He can “sign” it. He can put a stamp on the envelope. He can put it in the mailbox. As children master new skills, they can participate much more. My six-year-old will make the cards, write the cards, seal the envelopes, put the stamps on and get them to the mailbox. It may seem like a lot of work, but just a few minutes every day knocks them out in no time.
And, if you can, encourage others to write thank you notes to your kids, modeling this lost art. Kids LOVE receiving thanks too!
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A timely post for me. I just wrote two handwritten thank you notes and was thinking about how nice they are. I’m having my son write one today to a friend he spent three days with, too. Very well said!
Glad to share some synchronicity with you, Betsy.
We’re going to be cutting up pieces of art work to create cards this week. We like to glue the art work onto blank cards (that you can buy at an art/craft store). I try to change it up a bit to keep it interesting.