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Choosing Gratitude
26 November 2019
Janie listened to Episode 7: How Gratitude Can Change Your Life, of the Big Life Kids podcast with her sons, Charlie and William, and enjoyed learning together about how gratitude can help you feel happier and more appreciative of what you have.
Tags: gratitude, happiness, janie read
It’s almost time for Thanksgiving, a holiday that always makes me think about gratitude and all the reasons I have to be thankful. This year, I’ve been trying to talk with my children about what gratitude means and why it’s important. I was excited to find Episode 7 of the Big Life Kids podcast, How Gratitude Can Change Your Life, and was delighted to find that both of my boys were interested in listening to it with me.
The Big Life Kids podcast is a podcast series about building a growth mindset so kids can be more resilient. In this episode, the two main characters, Leo and Zara, learn about gratitude by listening to a story about a wildlife biologist, Dr. Siew Te Wong, and his efforts to rehabilitate sun bears who live in the Malaysian Rainforests. After Leo and Zara learn about Dr. Wong and his efforts, they take a nature walk and discuss all the things that they see and are grateful for while they are walking.
After listening to the podcast, I talked with my boys a little bit about the story and what it meant to them. Charlie told me that gratitude is the character trait of the month for November at his school, and that gratitude means what you’re thankful for and what you appreciate. He told me he’s grateful for our family, our home, and the warm sunshine and birds singing outside. My younger son, William, is usually a bundle of energy and hard to contain, but he listened to the entire episode with us. He is only 3, so I know that he didn’t entirely understand what was discussed, but after it was over, he told me he’s grateful for sharks and dinosaurs (two of his favorite types of toys).
I really enjoyed listening to this podcast and talking with my boys about the story. I think sometimes it’s easy to get too wrapped up in the day-to-day busyness of life and not take the time to appreciate all the wonder that surrounds us all the time. My children reminded me that we have so much to be grateful for and we should take the time to recognize it.
I’m looking forward to slowing down a bit over the Thanksgiving holiday and taking the time to appreciate my family. I hope that whatever your Thanksgiving plans are, that they include time to slow down and appreciate all you have. If you have young children like I do, I highly recommend this podcast episode.
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