When I was a kid I dreaded writing Thank You cards- but my Mom made me do it anyway. It took forever, I never knew what to write, and it seemed pointless……. but now I get it.

Now that we live far away from almost all our relatives, I know the Thank You card holds even more value. In the past, I’ve sent a text message to whoever gave the gift, with a picture of my kid holding or wearing the gift, with a nice message. I think it’s not a bad option and it serves its purpose in saying “Thank You.”

BUT, what am I teaching my kids? Leading by example…. yes? In order to really teach them the value in saying thanks, I made a change after my sons last fundraiser.

We received a lot of donations from friends and family, far more generous than expected. I didn’t feel a text was enough. So, I sat my 7 year old down with 10 note cards and set him to work. “Can’t we just write one card and photocopy it?” He asked me. He’s a smart cookie that kid. I explained that a handwritten note is much more personal and it would make people feel happy! And, I reminded him that his birthday and Christmas are coming- so it’s good to leave an appreciative impression on those generous friends and family members. =)

He did a decent job on the cards…..and then we took the pile to the post office, bought stamps, and he placed them on each card. You could see he took some pride in his work and I was happy to assist in the process.

In the busy lives we lead, a little effort goes a long way. We are all so overly connected with our devices, yet totally isolated from each other at the same time. I’m trying to find ways to keep things the “way they used to be,” while raising kids in the world that is NOT the world I grew up in.

I mentioned this act of Thank You cards to some of my Pilates clients and it opened the floodgates! Apparently the act of writing Thank You cards is getting lost. One client said she had attended 6 weddings last year, each couple was given a gift, and she only received 1 Thank You card! “That’s so tacky!” One client said. Everyone nodded in agreement. The other clients chimed in that that has been their experience as well. I really struck a chord with this topic- all my clients were obviously irritated and disappointed in the lack of appreciation these days. It’s not just our kids that need the reminder, but us adults too. Gratitude is so important! Those small acts of kindness go a long way with people.

I challenge all of us to take the time to show appreciation to others. My Mom instilled this value in me, and I want to make sure my kids know how important it is. Just doing my part to raise good humans!