When You Say Thank You, Mean It Book Review

#1 bestselling parenting title on Amazon.com, “When you say “Thank You,” Mean It” by Mary O’Donohue helps parents teach kids about behavior, morals, and good manners. It is important for kids to really understand why we do things, say things, and believe what we do. When you say “Thank You,” Mean It is an eye opening book that gets parents thinking about what they are actually teaching kids and if what they are trying to teach is really sinking in the right way with their kids.

When you say “Thank You,” Mean It Review

I really liked reading and going through the exercises in When you say “Thank You,” Mean It. Each month, the book takes you and your family on a moral and behavior journey through 11 key lessons on values.

Month 1 was all about gratitude and saying thank you. Although we like to hear our kids say Thank You in appropriate situations, especially around other people, it is more important that our kids really mean it. To do this, we need to get kids to process the entire situation and why they should be thankful.

During the Thank You and Gratitude month, the book takes your family on a daily exercise of stating what each of you are grateful daily. Adding to the daily gratitude list on a large posterboard really impressive. It gets not only kids thinking but also parents thinking about what is really important in life. My kids ranged from being grateful for toys, trees, animals, and candy to our family and “all the good stuff God made”.

One exercise was designed to get kids thinking about what goes into a gift they receive. Sure, they thank the person who gave the gift but it shows kids that the person did a lot more than just give the gift. They wrapped it, they picked it out just for them, they paid for it, they worked to earn money to pay for it, someone made the toy, shipped the toy, stocked it on shelves, etc etc etc. It was actually quite fun to backtrack and have the kids really figure out the beginning of products.

When you say “Thank You,” Mean It goes on to talk about Self-Respect, Respect for Others, Integrity, Compassion, Forgiveness, Joy, Commitment, Lifelong Learning, Inner Strength, Spirituality, and Sense of Purpose.

Although I set my beliefs and teach my kids morals based on the Holy Bible, I feel that the lessons and activities in this book are valuable.  There were a few times that I disagreed with the generalities found in the book about where our values come from, about “higher powers”, etc. However, that being said, we learned a great deal about really focusing on how and what we are teaching our kids. It doesn’t “just happen” automatically. Sometimes, we need to be more focused to be sure what we are teaching our kids are not just assumed.

Buy When You Say Thank you, Mean It

You can buy When You Say Thank you, Mean It on Amazon.com for $16.95 or less.

When You Say ‘thank You,’ Mean It: And 11 Other Lessons for Instilling Lifelong Values In Your Children (Hardcover)

$17.00

This was not a paid post. My own opinions were used based on my perceptions and experience. Thank you to Adams Media who provided the product for review.

Cindy

Founder and Lead Blogger at Akron Ohio Moms

Cindy is the top Akron Blogger with her own take on awesome brands for families, where to vacation for families, a beat on local activities and family fun, a knack for getting moms to share , and a house that is always 2 weeks away from a complete remodel!