March 24, 2025

Teaching Gratitude Without Guilt – We Are the Hansons

Teaching Gratitude Without Guilt – We Are the Hansons

In this heartwarming episode of We Are the Hansons, we dive into teaching our kids to be thankful for what they have—without guilt. Gratitude isn’t about feeling bad for having more or less than others; it’s about appreciating life’s blessings with a full heart. We share practical tips, family traditions, and real-life moments that help instill genuine thankfulness in our children while keeping the joy and positivity alive. 🌟Join us as we explore how to raise grateful kids in a world that often pushes entitlement or guilt. It’s all about balance, love, and perspective!

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Hey, everyone, welcome back to We are the Hands Ends.

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We are so glad you're here with us today. If

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you're new, We're a big, busy family that loves to

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talk about all things parenting, family life, and the chaos

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that comes with raising kids. Today's topic is an important one,

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teaching our kids to be thankful for what they have

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without guilt. This is something we've had to navigate with

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our kids, especially in a world where they're constantly exposed

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to what others have or don't have. Gratitude is a

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value we want to instill in our children, but we

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also don't want them to feel guilty for their blessings.

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So how do we teach them to be grateful in

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a healthy way. That's what we're diving into today. Well, guys, first,

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let's talk about why gratitude is so important. When our

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kids learn to appreciate what they have, it helps them

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in so many ways. Gratitude builds contentment and helps them

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avoid entitlement and even makes them happier. But sometimes kids

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feel bad when they realize not everyone has the same

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things they do. They might feel guilty when they see

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a friend struggling, or they might even hesitate to enjoy

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something special because they think it's unfair. We want to

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help our kids develop a heart of gratitude while also

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understanding that they don't need to carry guilt for what

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they do have. And you know, let's break it down.

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Some practical ways that we teach our kids to be

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thankful without feeling bad about it is one gratitude brings joy,

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not comparison. One of the biggest things we can teach

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our kids is that gratitude isn't about comparing themselves to others.

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It's about focusing on what's good in their own lives.

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And sometimes it's hard when they start feeling guilty because

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someone else has less. We can remind them that their

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gratitude doesn't take away from someone else's experience. It just

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helps them appreciate what they do have. A great way

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to reinforce us is to have them share one thing

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they're thankful for each day, big or small, doesn't matter.

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Maybe it's a warm bed, which most kids have. Maybe

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it's their favorite book, which we have tons of favorite books,

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but one book or a fun time that we had

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with our family. Over time, they'll learn that gratitude isn't

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about being better off than someone else, it's about appreciating

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what they already have in front of them. Number two.

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H gratitude leads to generosity. One thing we've taught our

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kids is that when they're grateful, it often inspires them

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to give. And my kids have a heart of gold.

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Any old toys they have or clothes they want to

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give to somebody that doesn't have, and I love it,

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not out of guilt, but out of kindness. And if

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they're thankful for a closet full of clothes, maybe they

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can pick out a few things and donate it. And

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my kids do that all the time. If they're grateful

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for a warm home, maybe they can help with a

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service project for families in need. We have not done that.

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We have given to homeless, but I guess that could

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kind of be considered that. The goal is to teach

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them that gratitude and generosity go hand in hand, but

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generosity should come from a place of love guilt, and

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we want them to give because they want to, not

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because they feel like they have to in order to

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justify what they have. Number three. What we have comes

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from hard work and love. And this is a big

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one in our family. We tell our kids that the

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things we have, whether it's a nice meal, a family vacation,

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or just a comfortable home, that is all here because

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someone worked hard for it and maybe sacrifices. And me

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and my husband work hard for everything our kids have

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and everything we have. It's not something they should feel

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guilty about, but rather something they should appreciate. We also

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make sure that they understand that nom or how much

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or how little someone has, their worth isn't based on

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their belongings. We are valuable because of who we are,

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not because of what we own. And we tell our

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kids that every day. You know, because we drive the

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streets here and my kids see homeless and they feel

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horrible for them. So when we do see homeless, not

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all homeless do we stop and give to if we

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have one approach us, Like we had some approach us

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about getting blankets, food, money and they were willing to

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work for it. We did not give them money, but

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we did help with blankets because it was cold outside.

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And my kids learned that if we have to give

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we if somebody else needs it, we're going to give it.

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Number four, make the most out of what you have.

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And I tell my kids that all the time. We

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want our kids to take care of and enjoy what

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they have been given. Whether it's their toys, their clothes,

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or their friendships or their tablets, the little things we

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want them to be grateful for, and being thankful means

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treating those things with care, taking care of that stuff

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and not destroying it or letting somebody else destroy it.

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When they appreciate something, they're less likely to take it

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for granted or waste it. For example, when our kids

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got a new toy or a piece of clothing, we

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encouraged them to take good care of it rather than

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just move on and wanting the next thing. We talk

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about how being thankful means making the most of what

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you have instead of always chasing more. My girls are

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big into reborn else the two youngest, and anytime they

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see a new one or one that they want, they say,

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we want this one, and I'm like, well you already

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have some, Well we want another one to add, And

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I'm always telling them be thankful for the ones you

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do have, because those are very nice dolls, and if

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you take care of them, they will last until you

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have children and you can pass them babies down to

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your children. Number five, Gratitude doesn't mean ignoring others' struggles.

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Some kids worry about being happy about what they have,

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they're ignoring people who are struggling. We help them understand

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that it's okay to be both thankful and compassionate. For example,

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if they notice a friend who doesn't have as much,

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instead of feeling bad, they can be kind and supportive.

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They can include that friend, share something small, or simply

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be there for them. We don't have to feel guilty

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for our own blessings. We can use them to bring

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joy to other people, whether it's kids, teens, adults, whatever,

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we can use that to bring joy to them. You know,

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anytime I see one of my children's friends that doesn't

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have a lot, I've seen it a few times, and

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you can tell because, for instance, my kids's tablets. When

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my children have a friend over and maybe their parents

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don't have the money to buy them a tablet, or

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maybe they just don't want them on you know, games

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or whatnot, whatever it may be, and I've just seen

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this happen them. Kids want to play on my children's

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tablet the whole time they are here, and I'm always like,

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put it away, put it away, let's play a game,

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let's do something other than that, they don't want to

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get off of it. And when I ask them, do

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you have a tablet at home you plan? They say no,

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So I know that they don't have it, so it's

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something new to that child, or maybe they just don't

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get to plan one often. But my kids are always like,

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I feel bad, we should give them our tablet and

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get a new one. And it's not that simple a

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lot of times, because if they got a tablet, either

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they got it for a gift or maybe they worked

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for it or something, and us as parents, we work

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hard for everything our children get, so those things are

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not cheap. And I try to tell my kids, you know,

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we can't just go out and buy a new one

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because your friend doesn't have one. Maybe we can figure

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out something else. So you know, we have to appreciate

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what we have and what we're given, which are our blessings,

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and we can still bring joy to others in different

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ways regardless. So when I talk to my kids, I

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always bring up be thankful for what you have, because

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like Torren the other day, she wants a new baby doll,

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and I'm always telling her, you have so many babies

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torn and she said, but I really want this one,

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and I tell her be thankful what you have, because

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some kids do not have nice dolls like you. Some

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kids don't have nice toys like you. Her and my

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Anna are the two that would give a brand new

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dollarway to somebody that doesn't have rather than go through

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their old toys and give somebody. But I tell them,

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you keep your new dolls, and you go through you're old,

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and whatever ones you don't play with anymore, put in

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a bag, and any of the other toys you don't want,

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put in a bag, and we will take them and

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give them to somebody in need, because there's always somebody,

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some child out there that needs it, and they always

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want to go through their toys, which I'm okay with

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that because my kids do have a ton of toys.

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And our boys are the same way. If they see

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a person that is homeless and they're standing there asking

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for food or money or anything, my boys will definitely

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be ones to go into the gas station, get them

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food and bring it to them because that is how

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they were raised. If you have the extra money and

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you can help somebody and bless them with something, do it.

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If you don't have the money and you can't bless them,

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pray for them. There is always good things that come

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with prayer. The power of prayer is huge. So before

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I wrap this up, I want to share a few

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practical ways that we can build graditude into our everyday

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lives with our kids, and one is gratitude jars or journals.

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Have each kid write down one thing they are thankful

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for every day and put it in a jar or

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a journal. That's a great way to see the good

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in their lives. They can always reflect back onto that

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later on in life and see what they were grateful

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for and cherish it. Number two family gratitude talks at

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dinner or bedtime. Take turn sharing something good about the day.

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It doesn't have to be big. Sometimes the little things

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matter more and the most Number three model it ourselves.

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Our kids learned by watching us as parents, and the

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littler ones also watch their older siblings and they learn

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from that. If they see us being grateful with our guilt,

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they'll follow our lead. Kids are like sponges. They take

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everything in. Number four, service projects as a family, finding

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ways to help others can reinforce gratitude in a meaningful way.

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Volunteering together teaches kids that giving is an act of love,

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not obligation. And number five, encouraging thank you moments. Teaching

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kids to say thank you for everyday things like a meal,

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a gift, or even just a kind act helps them

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build the habit of appreciation. Teaching our kids to be

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thankful without guilt is a process, but it is such

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an important lesson. Gratitude helps them find joy, appreciate hard work,

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and become more giving, all while understanding that their worth

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isn't tied to their possessions. If you have any tips

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or stories about teaching gratitude in your own family, we

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would definitely love to hear them. You can contact us

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on our Facebook page We are the Hansens and send

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us a message there, or you can send us an

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email at we are the Hansons show at gmail dot

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com and please go and subscribe to our we are

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the Hansens you tube channel. Thanks for joining us. We

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are the Hansens. Until next time, let's keep building grateful,

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joyful families together,