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More than 40% of cancer could be avoided by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and avoiding tobacco.

Source: The World Health Organization
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Teaching Gratitude
From: Kay Jones Lewis
November 01,2009
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Noteworthy Nuggets:

While gratitude has been promoted for centuries by major religions around the world, it only recently has become a focus of the scientific community.
In one experiment, a group kept a daily list of the things for which they're grateful. This group experienced significantly higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, optimism, and energy. They were also less likely to feel depressed or stressed, and more inclined to help other people. They exercised more regularly, felt better physically, and were more satisfied with their lives as a whole.

Try some of these strategies to pass the benefits of gratitude onto your children: be a role model, make gratitude a daily family ritual, create traditions, or volunteer and donate to charity.

Would you like to give each of your children one present this holiday season that they'll cherish the rest of their lives?  How about one that will improve their ability to get along with others, increase their sense of well-being, and have a tremendous impact on their physical and mental health?  This gift costs nothing yet it's priceless, it grows exponentially if nurtured regularly and you have the ability to make it magically appear at will.

I'm talking about teaching your kids to be grateful.  Now, some of you may argue that this is not something you can teach.  Within one family, you'll often find some kids who are more inclined to be grateful than others, even though they're being raised by the same parents with the same set of values. However, like any virtue or talent, gratitude must be practiced for it to become a habit.  Some children may understand this innately; others need to be nudged in that direction.

While gratitude has been promoted for centuries by major religions around the world, it only recently has become a focus of the scientific community.  One long-term study on the subject is being conducted by Dr. Michael McCullough of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Dr. Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis.  These two psychologists are researching the causes of gratitude and its impact on a person's health and well-being.

In one of their experiments, they divided several hundred people into three groups.  One group was asked to keep a diary, simply noting what happened to them each day; the second group was instructed to record only their unpleasant experiences; and the third group kept a daily list of all the things for which they're grateful.

When the results were analyzed, McCullough and Emmons found that the ''gratitude group'' experienced significantly higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, optimism, and energy.  They were also less likely to feel depressed or stressed, and more inclined to help other people.  They exercised more regularly, felt better physically, and were more satisfied with their lives as a whole. 

Now that we've established the value of gratefulness, how do you get your kids to buy into the idea?  Here are some suggestions:

Be a role model:  Let your children hear you express your own gratitude every day.  Pay close attention to the things you discuss in front of them and strive to be more positive.  When things don't go your way, let your children see you control your negative emotions and watch you refocus your attention on the parts of your day and your life for which you are grateful.

Make gratitude a daily family ritual:  Invite children to recount their own blessings each day, either as part of your daily dinnertime conversation or during family prayers.

Create traditions:  Holidays are great times to begin traditions that focus on gratitude.  Before the holiday meal, ask each person to share one thing for which he or she is most grateful.  You can also start a gratitude diary and ask each member of the family to record grateful thoughts in it each day of the holiday season.

Volunteer and donate to charity:  Find an event or charity that needs extra help during the holidays and throughout the year and volunteer as a family.  Young children may enjoy buying or making gifts for a needy family and helping to deliver them.  As they get older, they could help you sort donated clothes, stock shelves at a food bank, or serve meals at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.

As you and your family cultivate a greater sense of gratitude, you may notice another change for the better.  According to McCullough and Emmons, grateful people are less materialistic and they're more likely to share what they have with others.  Now wouldn't that be a blessing!

 
  
Resources: 
Words of Gratitude for the Mind, Body and Soul by Robert A. Emmons and Joanna Hill
Happiness is a Choice by Barry Neil Kaufman
The Mom Book by Stacy DeBroff