My wife is the sentimental one in our home. If she comes across a meaningful idea online or reads a helpful practice in a book, she finds a way to weave it into our daily routines. Not every idea sticks—getting three teenagers and an elementary-aged child to agree on anything is a miracle—but every now and then, something takes root. Over time, these small practices become part of our family culture.

Years ago, she printed a handful of conversation starters and tossed them into a jar on our kitchen table. During dinner, we’d pull one out and let it guide our conversation. One prompt rose above the rest:

“What was the best part of your day, and the hardest part of your day?”

Now, before you imagine a Hallmark moment, let me stop you. Usually the “best part” went something like, “Mom forgot to check my homework,” and the “hardest part” sounded like, “having to eat at the table instead of downstairs.”

Needless to say, the jar didn’t last long. And like many families, consistent dinners began to fade as the kids got older.

But about nine months ago, we made a decision: bring back family dinners.
Everyone at the table, as often as possible.

On that first night, our oldest looked around the table and said—with classic teenage dryness—
“Alright… best and worst part of everyone’s day…”

To our surprise, the answers that followed were more thoughtful. More honest. The youngest still tries to turn it into a comedy show, but slowly, I began hearing real reflection from our teens. Conversations deepened. We started to see what we had been missing.

Why This Matters

Family culture is shaped in the small, ordinary, daily moments—moments that rarely feel significant in real time but ultimately mold our children for years to come.

With that in mind, here are two simple ways to cultivate gratitude in your home this Thanksgiving season.

1. Say “Thank You”

Two small words. Huge impact.

Children need to be taught to say thank you, but even more—they need to see gratitude practiced by the adults around them. Kids learn far more from what we model than what we mandate.

Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Imagine insisting your children eat dinner at the table while you eat in the living room with the TV on. Mixed signals, right?

Gratitude works the same way. If we tell our children to “give thanks in everything,” but they rarely hear us expressing thanks, our instruction loses its credibility.

Let them hear you thank:

• Your boss
• Your parents
• First responders
• Teachers
• Church staff
• Anyone God has placed in your life

When thankfulness becomes normal in your mouth, it eventually becomes normal in theirs.

Questions to consider:

• Do my children regularly hear me say “thank you”?
• Am I modeling the gratitude I hope to see in them?

Gratitude is contagious—but someone has to start it.

2. Say “I’m Content”

If your home is anything like ours, Christmas lists were finished by Halloween. The grandparents already have copies. Items are sitting in Amazon carts. If my kids checked their homework as often as they check Amazon, they’d all be on the Principal’s List.

But the truth is this:
We live in a culture that disciples children toward discontentment.

Overnight delivery. Black Friday. Cyber Monday.
Ads. Upgrades. “Must-have” items.

Contentment quickly becomes an afterthought—unless we intentionally teach and model it.

This doesn’t mean depriving our children. It means creating a home where contentment is normal, and that begins with us.

Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 6:6–8:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain… And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

Questions to consider:

• Am I content with what God has blessed me with?
• Or do I always seem to chase the next thing?

If we constantly focus on what we lack instead of thanking God for what we have, our children absorb it. They’ll treat restlessness and comparison as normal—and they’ll follow our example.

Contentment is a spiritual discipline in a noisy world, but it pays deep dividends in the hearts of our children.

A Final Encouragement

These habits aren’t mastered in a day. Gratitude and contentment grow through small, steady, daily choices—just like gathering for dinner, talking as a family, and showing appreciation.

But these efforts matter.
Every step toward gratitude shapes the hearts of the children God has entrusted to you.

Don’t let past inconsistency discourage future growth.
God’s mercies are new every morning—and so is your opportunity to model thankfulness.

You can do this.
And your family will be stronger because of it.