Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World
How One Family Learned That Saying No Can Lead to Life's Biggest Yes
by Kristen Welch
What can I say? I love this book. I love it's cover - how it looks. I love the format and how it feels in my hands. I love the mix of personal stories and practical tips. Most of all, I love the message.
"We live in a culture that is obsessed with the right to have what we want, whether we've earned it or not."
If you believe in the concept of grace, then hopefully you understand that grace is two-fold. Grace is, first of all, getting what you don't deserve, and secondly, grace is not getting what you do deserve. Grace is the opposite of entitlement.
Kristen and her husband, Terrell, recognized the ugliness of entitlement that was rearing its head in their family and decided to call it out and wage war against it. Being grateful is an art that needs to be cultivated and nurtured daily, so that it can be practiced in all areas of our lives. Living gratefully is living counter-culturally, and it's increasingly difficult to practice in our current society.
"Society has shifted truth by bombarding us with an idea until its normalized. "
As I mentioned before, this book is full of personal stories in which Kristen shares what she and her husband have tried with their 3 children. It's also full of practical tips. Each chapter ends with a section called "Going Against the Flow" and includes ideas and suggestions for all ages: parents, toddlers/preschoolers, elementary, tweens/teens.
I've already implemented several ideas into our own family life. If you need encouragement in your own journey to raise grateful kids, or even in your own effort to be more grateful, then this book is for you.
So much of what Kristen shares in this book stems from her wake-up call after seeing poverty first hand on a Compassion trip. Not only does Kristen's family support the ministry of Compassion through sponsorship, they have created their own non-profit ministry in Kenya - Mercy House. The ministry is run locally by Maureen, a former Compassion child and LDP graduate from Kenya. The fruit of this ministry and this book are deeply rooted in the ministry of Compassion.
