Cultivate thankfulness, joy and resilience in your children by pointing to the giver of good gifts

In the second installment of her series: ’Helping every child’s mental wellbeing,’ Amy Smith argues that beyond counting blessings, children need to know who to thank. Discover how Christian families can cultivate joy and resilience by tracing every gift back to God’s faithful care

Anna unclipped her lunch box. A morning of literacy, numeracy and unkind comments had left her feeling more grey than the weather. There didn’t seem much to be thankful for.

She looked down at her ham and cheese bagel, salt and vinegar crisps, crunchy snack bar and pot of grapes. Through the hole in the middle of the bagel, a neon Post-it note shone out, tucked away at the bottom of her box. A hand-drawn smiley face, heart and moon told her that her dad loved her to the moon and back.

Anna’s dad is on the leadership team at church. You go to him for careful, wise advice, but he feels broken at his inability to help his own daughter who seems so quiet and withdrawn. Many parents feel ill-equipped to navigate what feels like a totally new world from the one they grew up in. They are worried about the increasing pressure on their lonely children.

Our children and young people will face grey days, times they feel like the sun is hiding behind a dark cloud

Anna looked at her lunch. The handwritten symbols told her, “I know you. I made this for you. I could not love you more.”

Instead of just seeing a bagel and grapes, she saw the bright glowing evidence of her father’s love for her. Five shiny reasons to be thankful and feel her father’s care – bagel, crisps, snack bar, grapes, Post-it note. It felt like ……