Teaching Generosity and Thankfulness to Teenagers.
I don’t know that it is that hard to teach tithing to teenagers. Pastor Ken gave a brilliant message this morning talking about tithing being a matter of the heart. He talked about needing to teach these values to our kids. While I don’t think that it is that hard to teach our kids the values, the world that they live in is very obstinate towards to the values of giving. Read the excerpt below regarding consumerism and then some practical ways to teach our kids to be generous and thankful.
According to the Journal of Consumer Research, the worse kids feel about themselves, the more obsessed they become with buying stuff. And because self-esteem takes a big hit during adolescence, countless retailers and brands are vying for the attention of teenagers trying to purchase their identity.
Author John Rosemond says that while adults generally attain 10% to 20% of the things they desire, kids are accustomed to receiving about 80% of what they want. And parents often make sure their teenagers aren’t deprived of any luxury. No wonder materialism has such a strong hold on kids today.
The problem is that “stuff” can’t meet our deepest needs or heal our hurts. Only God, the giver of all good gifts, can do that. Being content with—and grateful for—what we have is rooted in this knowledge of the source of all our blessings.
God not only promises to meet all our needs but commands us to give thanks in all circumstances, even the tough ones. As parents, you can help teenagers be grateful for what they already have and help them start to see the blessings in challenges and adversity.
Here are some practical ideas for instilling a sense of gratitude in your teenagers. Try them this month as a family to enhance your Thanksgiving celebrations:
1. Keep a gratitude journal together. Regularly write down things—big or small—for which you’re thankful, even during tough times.
2. Offer a fresh perspective. Have family members each write their names on a piece of paper. Pass around the papers, and have each person write down what they’d be thankful for if they were the person named.
3. Bring proof of your thanks. Add a twist to Thanksgiving dinner by having everyone bring to the table three objects for which they’re thankful. These objects represent: 1.) something new this year, 2.) something intangible, and 3.) something basic to their lives. Take turns sharing your objects.
4. Serve others. Volunteer as a family to express your gratitude and to foster generosity. Watch for more about service opportunities in next month’s newsletter.
Great Questions
to Ask Your Kids
Get teenagers talking about ways to incorporate gratitude into their lives all year long.
1. How content are you? Would your life be better if you had more money or more stuff? Explain.
2. What are you most thankful for, and why? What would you do if these things were taken away from you?
3. When is it hard for you to be thankful? What kinds of things are most difficult to be grateful for, and why?
4. How is it possible to “be thankful in all circumstances” (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
5. How does it feel to be appreciated? How do you express thanks to others?
Taken from “The Parentlink”
