Thanksgiving has passed, I know, but Christmas is a nigh, and Christmas will kick Thanksgiving’s ass any day when it comes to the best time of year for giving thanks.

Hence this Jam about being thankful, which is really about being thankful for your kids.

Here’s what you gotta do:  Take a moment to ask yourself what characteristics your kid(s) have that you are thankful for.

This may not be immediately apparent.  We often take the things our kids do well for granted, and focus on the things that they don’t do well.  So lets turn the tables and focus on all the great things your kids do.

Stuck?  Here’s an example…

I was inspired to write about this when Sweet Cheeks, our 5 month old daughter, had a cold about a week ago.

Normally Sweet Cheeks loves taking baths.  You can almost taste her excitement as we approach the bathtub, and she is like me in a chocolate store the whole time she is in there.

When she had her a cold, it was not so.

For those three dark days, the bathtub was like the deepest depths of hell for her.  The way she cried and screamed in there, you would have thought the water was molten lava.  What happened to our little water baby?  Is this going to be a new phase?  Did she have a bad experience that made her afraid of taking a bath?  I didn’t realize what I had, until it was gone.

We could only hope that this drastic turn of events was because of her cold, and that as soon as those antibodies got the better of her bug, the lava would turn to soothing water again.

The cold passed, and just as if those three dreadful days had never existed, she was back to her happy water baby self again.  She will never remember those three days, but they are three days I will never forget.  Especially if this site lasts for the rest of my life.

That experience has made me so thankful that Sweet Cheeks loves taking baths.  Before it happened, I took those happy shower times for granted.  Not anymore.  Now every time she smiles or laughs in that bathtub, I say a little “thank-you” in my head.  I don’t know how I would survive our nightly bedtime routine, which includes that bath, if she didn’t enjoy it.  We would probably have to change the routine completely.

When you start thinking about one thing that you are thankful for, you can’t help thinking of more.  I am thankful that Sweet Cheeks can fall asleep on her own in her crib.  I am thankful that Smarty Pants can do the same.  I am thankful that Smarty Pants loves to eat sushi, and that he loves to read books with me.  These are just a few examples of the many things that I am thankful for.

Take a moment to forget about the terrible twos and the fact that your kid doesn’t eat his brussel sprouts, or that he spilled your coffee on your new hardwood floor.  Think about the things your kid does really well or even fantastically.  The things he does that you would miss if he didn’t do them.

Now close your eyes and say a little “thank-you,” either to yourself, your kid, or your deity of choice.  And write a comment here too to tell us what it is.  Don’t hold out on us, it’s almost Christmas!

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