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Parents, kids can learn to be thankful together
Busy Mama
By Lisa Pemberton | For The Olympian
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Teaching children about gratitude isn't always easy.
But one Northwest mom hopes her new book will make that lesson easier for families.
Sue Lundquist, 39, of Woodinville, is the author of "I'm Thankful, A Collection of Thoughts for Bedtime, for a Lifetime."
The elegant hardcover book — which is available for $21.95 at www.ImThankful.com and other book retailers — features a series of questions designed to help families celebrate compassion and thankfulness.
"It just gets the dialogue going," Lundquist said. "There's such a huge disconnect with families right now. ... Parents and children aren't communicating, even if it's just the little stuff."
Here are excerpts of a recent interview with the author:
Question: Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
Answer: I'm a mompreneur, an author and a business owner. My husband, Troy, is a vice president for sales and marketing at Silvaris Corporation. We have three daughters, ages 8, 7 and 5.
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: This all stemmed from some tragedy, some loss of emotions, and that kind of stuff. I was trying to find out how I was going to be grateful, be thankful and teach my children how to be thankful, too.
I was adopted as a child, and five years ago, I was reunited with my biological mother. I sent away for birth records, and found her right away. I sent a very generic letter to her.
A few weeks later, literally the day that we came home from the hospital with our third daughter, we got a letter from my biological mother.
She said, "The biggest thing was you've never been a secret. I've loved you from the day you were born."
Within a few weeks, we went to Florida to see her. I had some incredible emotional moments with her. ...
But she passed away about six months later from small-cell carcinoma — cancer. Around that same time, the father who raised me was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
There was a lot of negativity going on in my life, and finding things to be grateful for wasn't easy.
I really had to pull up my bootstraps and say, "OK, I'm thankful that I was able to get out of bed today."
Q: Tell us about your book, and its mission.
A: It's considered a journal, and I use it every night with my kids. They can doodle in it, draw pictures, answer questions, and start a positive dialogue rolling. I want these questions and tools to be a staple in families' lives. Families can use it in the car on the way home from a soccer game or anything. Even if it's for five minutes a day, start the dialogue with your children.
The mission, bottom line, is to get families communicating again. With this computer age, it's really great in some senses, but nobody's talking anymore.
Q: What has the response been to your book? What kind of feedback have you received from others?
A: Parents are saying they're benefiting from the journal, too. It's a positive for the reader and the receiver.
I can see my children having this for generations.
People have said it's beautiful, it's quick, easy and highly effective.
Q: How do you maintain gratitude during stressful times?
A: Turn it around, if it's stressful and something negative is happening. Maybe it's as simple as, "I was able to get out of bed, and I didn't cry today." Or "The kids had food in their bellies."
When you're on your pity pot, without a whole lot to be thankful for, start with the basics.
Q: How can parents teach their children to be thankful? What are some key phrases they can use?
A: They can model that behavior by being a good example. Lead by example.
My favorite quotes are "Don't let the things you want cloud the things you already have," and "Appreciate, communicate and validate one another."
Q: Tell us about the journal's charity angle.
A: Under the umbrella of my company, we started a crusade to give back and help where we can.
The idea is to go into local communities, find boutiques, and sell the journal for a day, with 10 percent of the proceeds going to a children's charity. We recently did one for a children's hospital.
Q: What are some of the things that you're thankful for?
A: I'm thankful for my children's health. I'm thankful that I was able to go for a great run this morning. I'm thankful the message is getting out. Pretty simple.
Former Olympian reporter Lisa Pemberton is busier than ever with her three children, ages 1, 3 and 7. She can be reached at lisapemberton@rocketmail.com.
By Lisa Pemberton | For The Olympian
