Every night at dinner time I ask each of my children “What was the best thing that happened to you today?” If ever I forget, they are quick to remind me!
When we were kids, my own mum would ask us this same question as she kissed us goodnight.
This simple question is so wonderful for many reasons-
- it sparks real conversation at dinner, which is much better than me nagging “Use your fork!!”
- it encourages my children to feel grateful, and to think about the positive things that have happened during the day.
- by concentrating on the good things, it helps children to develop self esteem, confidence and optimism, which in turn helps them to build resilience.
Often, my children will also talk about something “really bad that happened today”. This is fine too. I definitely want them to be able to share the negative parts of their day, and by discussing these things, we can often reach a solution, or think about why someone acted the way they did. I encourage them to confide in me about what is worrying them, telling them ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’.
However, I think if we can teach our children to focus on the good and the positive, and to keep the negative in perspective, we will help them to deal with setbacks and move forward in life with a sense of fun and optimism.
Image via Pinterest.
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