One Simple Way to Teach Kids the Value of Gratitude
No parent sets out to raise an entitled kid, yet it’s happening. Our sons and daughters are growing up in a culture that tells them that they should get what they want when they want it, and they don’t have to do a whole heck of a lot in return either.
Gratitude is the antidote to entitlement; therefore, we must purposely take the time to teach this essential value in our homes by expecting our children to handwrite and send thank you notes.
It’s easier to live out the values we say are important to us when we invest in the proper tools to help us. That means if you want your kids to write thank-you notes, then you’re going to need to provide them.
And what better way to do that then to turn to Arizona based Pretty Paper Club to help us express our appreciation and keep connected with loved ones on a regular basis. “Everyone knows the feeling of receiving a letter in the mail from a loved one,” says Pretty Paper Club Owner Natalie Meszaros. “I like to think that your friends and family deserve more than an email or text message now and then.”
Take the time and make an effort to teach your kids the importance of sending handwritten thank-you notes by mail.
“I think people mistake writing letters as a chore and sending a text message as more convenient,” says Meszaros. “However, I have found that having a stash of notecards, stamps, and pens handy makes letter writing quite easy.”
5 Reasons Your Kids Should Write Thank You Notes
Pretty Paper Club offers one-time stationery purchases as well as a subscription club sending out unique themed stationery kits on a monthly basis. Meszaros started her company because of her deep love for all things paper. She and her childhood best friend, Julie, wrote thousands of letters to one another as they lived apart from one another before the days of email and cell phones. Sadly, Julie passed away at the age of 33 from breast cancer, but her legacy lives on through Pretty Paper Club.
Pretty stationary always makes writing thank you notes and other correspondence so much easier and more fun!
It was instilled in me to write thank you notes after receiving a gift and I have made our son do it. And you are correct…he does not like to and you would think I was really causing him harm. I explain that the note doesn’t have to say a lot, but that the small gesture of taking time to write a note and address an envelope means so much to the gift giver. Last Christmas, I got some fun Hot Wheels Stamps from the post office and left them with the Elf with a note that told our son to make sure he wrote his thank yous after Christmas. It worked! He enjoyed picking out a fun stamp for the envelope.
This is such a great idea- to have the Elf gift fun stamps! I love fun stamps!
I would like to start sending cards to family and friends just to brighten their day.
I try to keep both masculine and feminine notes in the house so it’s easy to just pick one up, but still hard to find note cards that are “cool” enough for all.
Love the idea of having both masculine and feminine cards on hand! I do the same having both sons and a daughter!
Iove this idea that I already want to incorporate it into our tradition. We do phone calls, which will still do on Christmas day, but getting something in the mail thanking them is on a more personal level. Thanks for helping us raise gratitude kids.
Love the personal phone calls too, because that in itself is a lost art as well!
I have 3 girls and I love having them write thank you notes. We’ve done it since they were little and have always had their involvement from writing any letter in their name, to signing their whole name, to fill in the blank thank you cards, to writing a full card. I LOVE personalized stationary. It makes writing even more fun. I know I feel so loved when my girls and I receive cards in the mail. We want to bring a smile to other people’s faces and let them know we appreciate them! So many acts of kindness go unnoticed or are taken for granted. Stopping to notice those things with our kids is a very important way to decrease the entitlement. Someone dies something for you, you do something back. And what a great and simple way to get kids involved; writing thank you notes!! 🙂
I meant, does, not dies. Haha
I agree. It’s nice to write a thank you note by hand and mail it to the gift giver. Good ideals to teach to the kids. It’s always nice to receive a thank you in the mail too.
Pretty paper is the best! I love thank you notes – writing and receiving them. Receiving not just a handwritten note but one with true thoughts enclosed in it, means even more to me than a gift itself. I hope they do the same for those I write them to.
I make my boys write thank you notes too. They don’t really like it, but I tell them it takes less time to write than it did for the person to pick out the gift, wrap it, etc.
I am all about thank you notes for everything. November is my “Be Thankful” month. You need to slow down and be thankful before you rush into the holidays.
I know how it makes me feel to receive a handwritten thank you, so I know others probably appreciate the thought and sentiment too.
I have recently moved, and all my things, including my stationery, are in storage. This stationery set would let me continue my correspondence in style while I am looking for a permanent place.
Entitlement is such a problem and so harmful for these kids. Thank you for enabling your readers to thoughtfully combat it.
I would love to win this beautiful stationary! Writing thank you notes and handwritten letters/cards to family and loved ones is a regular occurrence in our home. Writing a note takes just a few minutes, but can mean the world to the one receiving it. Handwritten notes are rare in this day and digital age, which make them even more valuable and well-received. Thank you for the opportunity to win a gift that keeps on giving. 🙂
Amy…The gift of gratitude, I LOVE this! I love the way you express that writing notes is a gift, not a chore. xoxo
Our family would love personalized notes!!
Love mail! I love how sending such a simple note can brighten someone’s day! Each month I pick a few friends; near or far to send some happy mail too!
I wholeheartedly believe in having our kids hand write thank you notes, and pretty stationary makes it even more fun!