As parents and role models, we want our children to learn how to say “thank you” and “please” and use other modes of good manners. Many of us also want to foster a sense of appreciation and gratitude in our children and help them learn how to let people know that they are thankful for help and such. In the process of doing all this, it is important that we parents remember that we can model appreciation and let our children know that we are grateful for the things they do by remembering to tell them “thank you” now and again.
I think it is important to say “thank you” regularly with our children in the course of the day, but I also think that we should take special care to make “big” thank yous now and again. We can let our child or children know that we appreciate an ongoing effort they are making or notice when they do something unusual like putting away their laundry without being asked or volunteering to go get milk when we run out unexpectedly. There are those times when an ordinary “thank you” is not enough and going out of our way to express genuine appreciation can really mean a great deal more.
If you really want to make a special point—write a little note, leave a “thank you” card, or consider an e-card or special little gift. By being specific and letting the child know what you appreciate you are sending a strong message that you notice the things he or she does that are helpful and that they have value to them. When we extend our thanks to our kids, we are also modeling appreciation and showing them all the ways to say “thank you” to someone who has done something good.