Many of us are thankful that Thanksgiving is over. It isn’t just the turkey that you can put out of your mind, it also is the many things we each should keep in our thoughts. There shouldn’t be one day to be thankful; we should be there each day. We all should work on remembering the good things even when it isn’t Thanksgiving. This is a lesson well worth teaching our children.

Far too many of us focus on what we don’t have and forget what we do have. When a child sees this, it unfortunately is a way of life he can mimic. Like most of our bad habits as parents, it is easy to hand this one on to our young children.

As a parent, you can teach thanks. You can teach your child to be thankful, grateful and lucky. Oprah Winfrey gave us a clue on being thankful when she wrote, “Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” The key for parents is to demonstrate the lesson. If you show your thankfulness and gratefulness, your child will learn that lesson. Ask your child of any age what he or she is now thankful for. Talk about how important it is to have every day be Thanksgiving. You may have to help him to begin with but he will catch on quickly. He can be thankful for what you have for dinner or for the dog who sleeps each night with him. He can be thankful that he has a sweet baby sister or a fun baby brother to play with. This is the kind of thankfulness parents want to hear but it isn’t always the kind of thing your young child will offer. He can be grateful for the chips you have in the cupboard. Parents should accept this even though it is not as touching as the sibling gratitude.

Actually, many children will express thankfulness in very special ways. I watched a young woman about 15 years old welcome her grandfather to sit next to her at the restaurant. She reached over to him to encourage him to take the chair next to her and then she planted a kiss on his cheek. She even kept her arm around him as she talked to him. It was touching. It was special.

No matter the age of your children, talk with them about thanking others. When you thank people, you are letting them know you appreciate them and that is a special message to give others. People really pay attention when you thank them. As one person said, “Truly appreciate those around you and you’ll soon find many others around you.”

A message for children and adults of any age is that when you focus on being thankful, it helps in other areas of your life. One writer said that, “It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.” So if you are unhappy with things in your life, try focusing on what you have to be thankful for and let gratitude fight the negative feelings. You even could set it up that each evening each person talks about something they were thankful for today. This is a nice way to remember the day. It also teaches your child of any age to focus on the positive things in life.

So don’t be thankful that Thanksgiving is over. Be thankful that it focuses your attention on the many things you need to remember to be thankful for. Be happy because it reminds you to be thankful and grateful to others who are special to you. Be thankful that it sets the stage for you to be thankful each and every day. My personal thanks go to those who take the time to read the messages I send to people through the Gazette. I am truly grateful when someone reminds me of something I have written or something I said that had meaning for them. I definitely want to send my thanks to you. Let me also invite you to Breakfast with Santa this Saturday morning. Be sure to thank Santa who has volunteered to be there to give books to each of the children. He deserves a thank you.

Reach Martin at pmf@olypen.com or at 681-2250.