Co-Parenting in Gratitude
As all of us know, Thanksgiving is a special time to spend with our family and friends, but those of us that are recently separated/divorced and co-parenting or those of us that still need more time to heal from a separation or divorce, the last thing that might be going through your mind is celebrating, let alone feeling thankful and then with the pandemic, there are lots of emotions.
In this season and especially with the pandemic, it is really in our best interest to set aside our differences with our co-parent and be present and full of gratitude for our children. One of the most important part of the holidays is the memories you give your children. Do you want your children to remember the holidays as stressful time, a time of arguing or bad mouthing one another or do you want it to be one of kindness even when? What legacy do you want to leave your children. Remember children learn by watching what behaviors we are modeling.
As most parents, we are reminding our children to be kind to others, to respect others, to communicate in ways that we would want to be communicated towards yet if we cannot do the same with our co-parent, what is the message that we are relaying to our children?
Gratitude is “The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
Finding Gratitude in the Holidays
1). Put your children feelings first
2). Leave all the “stuff”, the situation (it can wait until the next day)
3). Create new traditions that create more joy/gratitude
4). Write it Down – create gratitude notes
Ways to teach your children Gratitude
1. Noticing – Start by being aware of a person, place or thing you want to appreciate.
2. Thinking – Start thinking about ways to show your gratitude
3. Feeling – The emotions you experience as a result of the things you’ve been given.
4. Doing – Find ways to take action, showing your gratitude in the form of an action.
Gratitude allows us to celebrate the present, it dispells negative emotions, builds more resilience and cultivates self worth.