Teaching Kids GratitudeSample

Speak Life

“Can someone come back here? Jasmine’s upset.” The text came through my friend’s phone, and she leaned over to show me. I nodded as I whispered that I’d go check.

We’d been watching our girls dance in their first competition of the season. They were nervous but also excited. I’d expected that my daughter would be upset—she’d just slipped and fallen during their tap routine. She quickly recovered, jumping back up on her feet, but I knew she wouldn’t be happy.

As I walked into the changing room, I could see her teammates comforting her. I gave her a hug, telling her it would be okay, that she had quickly recovered and done well, but she shook her head and whispered, “I let everybody down, Mom.”

Ava, a good friend and teammate of Jasmine’s, overheard and quickly responded, “Not me. You didn’t let me down.” I smiled at Ava, grateful for her encouragement. Jasmine wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. I knew it would take a little time, but the support from her friends would help her recover.

Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. When we mess up or make a mistake, we’re often our own toughest critics, berating ourselves in our own minds or replaying how we could have done things better. But mistakes are a part of life, and we shouldn’t be surprised when we aren’t perfect—we weren’t meant to be. This is when I’m grateful for those around us who love us. We need them to help us see clearly what we cannot: that messing up is okay and that everyone does it.

And when we, like Ava, use our words to remind others of this truth, those words become like “apples of gold” set in silver, the perfect comment at just the right time to counteract the negative voices in our own heads.

Kendra

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Pay attention to those around you and determine to use your words at the right time to build someone else up.