It can be easy in a single parent family to see all the things that are “not right” or all the ways that things could and should be better. What can be more challenging, however, is to gather one’s thankfulness and resources and develop a sense of appreciation for all the joys and wonders of the world when one is often struggling just to make ends meet.
So, what do I even mean when I start writing about “appreciation”? Back in November I wrote a little about my own “appreciation” around Thanksgiving, but this morning I am thinking of how as single parents we can model and help our children develop a sense of awe, interest, worship, gratefulness or appreciation. Instead of always focusing on what is NOT going well, by making an effort to hone in on those little pieces of joy that come our way every day, we can help our children have some reverence and appreciation for life as well.
What is going well? What are the sweet little morsels of pleasant surprise that have happened today? Did the sun peak through the clouds and fall on the living room floor in the midst of a grey, cold winter week? Did you arrive at the grocery store to find an unexpected sale on milk and cereal? Did the dog, cat, or neighbor’s child do something particularly entertaining? By drawing our children’s attention to the surprises and joys that happen in the course of an ordinary day, we can help them learn how to foster appreciation and take all of our minds off of what might not be going so well.
It is easy to focus on missing those green lights or how low the bank account is, but as single parents, we can learn and teach our children how to find the appreciation and joys in every day to balance out all those “bummers.”