I have been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. Do I show it? Do I show enough example for my kids to display it?
It all came to a head yesterday afternoon. As I have mentioned, tables have turned recently and we are severely struggling to make ends meet. I spent yesterday applying for nighttime jobs to try to supplement our income a bit. I don't mind taking another job if it means that we won't feel this panic any longer, especially going into Christmas.
Because of this, I went to a consignment shop a few weeks ago and got Noah both a fall jacket and a winter coat. He didn't like the winter coat, and disliked it so much that he "lost" it. I understood the situation...the coat was quite a bit too big for him and didn't have a hood so I finally decided to break down and spend the money to get him a good winter coat. I justified it by saying that it had to make it through two kids. I'm sure the old coat will turn up and then he'll have an extra and it will fit him better next year.
I found a good deal and was happy to get it for him. I knew it would keep him warm and it wasn't "puffy" so I knew he wouldn't complain. When we got home from school yesterday, I said, "Hey Noah, I got you a new winter coat. Please come try it on." Rather than, "Thanks Mom", I got "Mom, No, I don't want to try things on." And he proceeded to throw a bit of a tantrum. Then when Steve got home, he went to go take the boys outside to play. He told Noah to go get his new coat and Noah's response was, "No, I'm going to throw that coat in the garbage. I don't want it!"
So now I get a call at work from Steve yelling me at me because he's mad at Noah. So I told him, "Fine, I'll take the coat back. Then I can put that money toward getting the mortgage paid."
When I got home, I indeed went and put the new winter coat away. Steve says, "Here we go again."
Apparently, there had been quite a battle when I got off the phone about said winter coat. Now all of a sudden it's, "No Daddy, no Mommy, I want the coat" begging and pleading the while. At bedtime, while I was doing books with Noah, we spent some time talking about gratitude. We talked about people who don't have all of the things they need. I was also very honest with him about Mommy and Daddy not having a lot of money right now and how we worked very hard to get him the coat and when he doesn't appreciate it, it hurts our feelings. He seemed genuinely repentant.
This morning was the coldest morning of the year. The winter coat is still hanging in my closet, out of sight. I was VERY tempted to send him off with no coat, but that would just be abusive. So I sent him with his fall jacket and hat and gloves. A small, very bad, piece of me is really hoping that Noah feels a little cold on the playground today. I hope I am teaching him a lesson and not scarring him for life.
What does this have to do with Tackle It Tuesday, you may ask?
Let me tell you.
Aaron received gifts for his birthday all week last week. When someone gives you a gift, the proper thing to do, whether they were there when you opened it or not, is to write a thank you note. I was told this when I was younger, and it is maybe the ONE thing that I credit my mom for in my upbringing.
I think I mentioned this after Noah's birthday. We
always get them written, but for some reason, I tend to forget to put them into the mail...every time
So here sat Aaron yesterday getting them all written. I bought the kind where you just write the person's name, the gift, and the child's name as a way to make it easier. Aaron is actually writing his name LESS clearly since school started...I'm not sure why.
The nice thing about my Grandma Buelke is that every time she has ever sent a present for one kid, she always sends one for the other. Noah got a really neat seed book from her.
So he wanted to write one too.
Now I just need to make sure they make it into the mail today.
Steve has done one thing every night at dinner ever since the boys were really small, that is starting to become a habit. Whomever made dinner each night, right after prayer, Steve always says "Thank you mommy for making dinner" or I say "Thank you daddy for making lunch". It is now becoming habit for the boys to race to see who can thank us for the meal first.
So gratitude can come in many forms. I don't expect the boys to bend over backward just because I washed their underwear. But I worry that I am not displaying enough gratitude in my own life, and therefore not instilling it in my children.
So I open it up to you, my readers. How do you teach gratitude in your household? How would you have handled the coat issue?
I will be eagerly awaiting your thoughts.
Last Saturday I turned 36. It wasn't a huge milestone, but it was still worthy of mentioning. Steve had to be gone most of the day, first with work, and then on a singing engagement. So we kept busy many other ways throughout the day.
2. Visited Steve at the recording studio where he spent the day and listened to his entire choir sing Happy Birthday to me, resulting in me tearing up.
4. Planted a tomato plant in the hanger I got for my birthday and also a new lilac bush.
6. Watched (and listened to) my neighbor jackhammer the cement from his driveway, followed by chopping up numerous HUGE roots from our tree that caused their driveway to crumble.
8. Went out for dinner at Olive Garden thanks to a generous gift certificate given to me by Deb
10. Looked for nooks and crannies to put away the very generous birthday delivery from my parents that resulted from a trip to Sam's Club.
