It's right about this time of year that parents see the manifestation of ungratefulness in their children in full force. We live in a society that saturates us with all that we don't have. And children have less self-control and wisdom in these areas than we do, for the most part.

Ungratefulness will show itself in various ways, but one specific way is with complaining and whining. Some parents ignore this behavior or shrug it off as "just what children do". Parents, do not allow this to be acceptable behavior that you think will go away with age. You must train your children now how to be grateful and teach them that complaining and whining is ungratefulness and that you will not accept this kind of behavior. Once you have taught this, you can reinforce it through consequences when they do it again.

During these times, don't just give out the consequences but also use the time to train them in seeing how much they have to be grateful for. Remind them of the person who cooked the dinner they complained about (usually mom) and how hurtful it is to complain about a dinner that took much time and effort to prepare. Remind them of the importance of doing chores and how it teaches us responsibility and helps mom and dad with maintaining the home.

Some preschool-age children, if they are the youngest sibling, may find whining as their constant companion. Sometimes it's due to being left out, not getting a turn or not getting enough attention. Let's face it.....the youngest sibling often times get the leftovers in attention. However, none of these are acceptable reasons for allowing the child to form a habit of whining. And it will be a habit that stays with them but it will manifest itself in different ways. Let there be consequences for this age as well.

Overall, I encourage you to focus on gratefulness this Christmas season. For without the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we have nothing to be grateful for. It starts here and ends at the cross. Blessings to you this Christmas!