My kids think I'm ancient but I make them write thank you notes after birthdays and holidays. Handwritten. I don't care if it takes 20 minutes. That's how you teach gratitude and respect for other people's generosity. My son complained about it until he saw his grandmother's reaction getting his note in the mail. Now he gets it. Some traditions exist for a reason.
Those 20 minutes teaching gratitude will stick with them way more than a typed email ever would. Good on you for holding that line.
I'm doing the same thing and my kids actually appreciate it more now that they're older. There's something about making them sit down and write it out that teaches them manners in a way texts never will.
This matters more than you know. In a world of instant everything, teaching them to slow down and actually appreciate someone is a real skill. I respect you for pushing back on how easy it would be to just let it slide.
Not ancient at all. This is the kind of stuff kids actually remember when they're grown. My daughter called me last month and told me she writes thank you notes now because of how we did it growing up.
Sign in to join the conversation.
My kids groan about it too but I catch them being thoughtful about what they write. You're teaching them something real.