Offer words of gratitude often

A few weeks ago I was on carpool overload.  Yes, it was the last few weeks of school which means that each of my kids needed to be in 5 places at once and so I found myself in the throes of being on one end of driving too many teens too many places.  Now I’m exhausted at the end of my day, so I’m digging deep to not be annoyed by the endless changing of music as they take control of my playlist and speak to each other in a language I only half understand.

But you know what piqued my spirits.  The fact that every single kid I dropped off thanked me for giving them a ride.  It wasn’t just the boys or the girls. It was every single one of my kid’s friends (and even my own too). Yes, the ones that were quiet during the whole ride with their head ducked down and focused on their phone looked up long enough to thank me when we arrived at the destination.

And it blew me away.  It made the too many nights in a row of carpool almost worth it.

Just because of a string of consistent thank you’s.

And this was proof enough to me that you can never say ‘thank you’ or express words of gratitude too often.  These words absolutely go a long way and I’m so appreciative of the reminder that these lovely and awkward teens gave me a few weeks ago.

Remember, a little thank you goes a long way.

Take the time to say thank you to each other and see how much more engaged you start to feel.

I’m cheering you on.

-A

P.S. If communication feels too risky to be vulnerable with your ‘thank you’s’ or words of appreciation, maybe now’s the time for the two of you to enroll in the Communication Masterclass.  Follow this link to see how the two of you can reset the foundation of communication…together.