Updated on July 5, 2024
Are you aware of the importance of Thank You in your life? The magic word Thank You brings miracles to anyone’s life. While parenting it is very important to teach your children the importance of using the magic word Thank You in their daily life. It is a simple courtesy that takes just a moment and everyday etiquette that costs nothing, not even effort.
The Magic Word Thank You
This magic word is a form of expressing gratitude. As a law of attraction says, gratitude creates an abundance of everything around you. Gratitude is the simplest and most powerful way to acknowledge another person’s value and humanity. And the easiest way of expressing gratitude is to say ‘Thank You’ with a heart and smile, of course. It is a quality that the children have to grow up with so that expressing gratitude becomes a part of their life. To thank a gift, saying good morning when you arrive at a place, and saying goodbye when you leave, are the day-to-day actions that should stimulate children so that when they grow up, they respect others. The word Thank You conveys the thought that we are concerned with others. When we raise our children to be concerned with others, we are not only helping them to live in a society but also stimulating their development.
Short Story – Thank You
It was a regular day. Everything was routine. The daughter came and captured her lunch box near the kitchen table to be cleaned. As the mother opened the empty lunch box, a small piece of paper floated down the floor. She picked it up and found something written on the paper that changed the mother-child relationship forever. It said, Mummy, the lunch was so tasty today. Thank you very much. The mother’s eyes flood up with tears. After a full minute of composing, she went to her daughter and hugged her so tight that she almost gasped for breath. After a dozen kisses, the mother asked the daughter to explain the reason for the thank you note. She replied that in the class teacher taught the importance of thank you and asked all of them to experiment with it.
There were several options that the teacher discussed, and she thought this was the best. Several months later, she realised the importance of the word Thank you in real life, too. However, it opened the mother’s mind to a huge number of possibilities to use the magic word Thank You. From that day, she said thank you everywhere. That transformation was instinct. She could see miracles before unfolding her eyes. Today, she uses this magic word Thank You, with her colleagues, friends, relatives, shopkeepers and even with her maidservant and she is proud that her world has changed too. She realised the importance of teaching this habit to children at a younger age.
Benefits Of Saying Thank You
Among the many benefits, below list four of them.
1. Learn To Live With Others
When we encourage our children to use this magic word Thank You, we are making them realise that selfishness, which is very natural until about the age of 6, is a phase that must pass. This helps the children become more mature, enabling them to grow into other people, who care about others.
2. Develop Emotional Skills
When the children go through experiences of gratitude and respect, they are more likely to develop skills such as acceptance of others, teamwork, getting comfortable with differences and so on which are socio-emotional skills essential to their development and which will hold them in good stead throughout their life.
3. Learn To Value Things
Insist your children be thankful when they receive a gift or anything. That way, you’re giving them the means to understand that regardless of what they receive, they should be grateful and know that everything has its value and importance. It does not matter from who it came from, it could be even the most hated person, but allow them to experience its transformation in the relationship with this magic word Thank You.
4. Good Relationships
Thanking when someone has done something or having empathy for them and treating others with good humour and gentleness generates complexity and connection that in future will help build good relationships and healthy environments.
Expressing thanks through a thank you note is something that you can imbibe in your children very early. For instance, when they receive a gift for their birthday, a small handwritten note of gratitude is magic. Children need to be taught that the gift that they received is not just an article and not just a requirement. It is someone taking their precious time and, typically, money also and spending them on the gift.
When they receive a gift, it is important to thank the person for taking that opportunity to do something for them. It is tough to start such habits in children. They will feel bored if you ask your children to cut pieces of paper and write Thank You on them. It is here that you need to get creative. Get some colour paper or something innovative so children will be interested in exhibiting their skills too.
Steps to saying thank you effectively
- While saying Thank You make eye contact with the other person to prove your sincerity
- Keep a warm smile on your face
- Speak in a clear and friendly voice to prove your happiness
- Be specific about exactly what are you thanking the person for
- If you know the person well and if appropriate, while saying Thank You, you can shake a hand, a hug, or even kiss
Conclusion
This magic word conveys gratitude and also proves your appreciation. More than that, it is a sign of respect to the person who has given you something or helped you in need. It is an acknowledgement that they matter and a sign you do not take them for granted. It is always right to thank people, however, small the thing they have done for you. You should teach your children the importance of saying Thank You.
Recommended for further reading
- How often do you say thank you to others?
- Do you say thank you only to those you love and those you wish to impress?
- Do you liberally sprinkle your daily interactions with these two golden magic words?
- Have you ever felt bad when someone didn’t say Thank You for your help or effort?
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Mathukutty P. V. is the founder of Simply Life Tips, a blogger, content writer, influencer, and YouTuber passionate about learning and sharing. Guided by “Simple Living, Creative Thinking,” he believes in the power of knowledge sharing and lifelong learning.