The Power of Thank You

Posted on March 28, 2016

I remember the excitement that I felt when both my kids spoke their first word: mama. My husband, needless to say, was not so happy because he had been practicing papa with them for a long time. Every time he complained, I reminded him that this was my gift, my reward for giving birth. Eventually, we were happy to hear many words from their little mouths, but two of the most gratifying in particular were thank you.

Thank you is one of the first phrases we teach our children, and when they learn to apply it well, it makes every parent laugh and beam with pride. Thank you is a verbal delivery of gratitude, which is how we think and feel about something in our hearts. Thank you acknowledges appreciation, thoughtfulness, and kindness. And researchers in the field of positive psychology have also proved that expressing gratitude boosts the self-worth, self-esteem, self-confidence, and happiness of both the giver and the receiver. The phrase has a ripple effect!

Parenting can often seem a thankless task. Take a minute to make a gratitude list. Listing the top three blessings in your life can help tweak our outlook and put things back in perspective really fast. So tell me, what are you thankful for?