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[ENCORE] Ep. 63: Growing Gratitude with Sara Kuljis

Release Date: 11/18/2022

EP. 188 [Tough Twenties] Series Wrap Up with Gretchen (age 30) & Owen (age 20)

Sunshine Parenting

In the final episode of the , Gretchen (age 30), Owen (age 20), and I have a conversation about building identity capital in your twenties and how various experiences, whether professional or personal, shape our stories and can influence future opportunities. Owen shares his experience as a beach lifeguard, which, although unrelated to his planned career path, provided him with valuable life skills and discipline. Gretchen, nearing the end of her doctoral program, discusses how her camp counseling experience has been instrumental in her teaching career and her current research. We also...

EP. 187: [Tough Twenties] The Defining Decade - Meg Jay, PhD

Sunshine Parenting

In the Tough Twenties series, I’m interviewing young adults, answering questions submitted by listeners, and sharing resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you’re an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you’re parenting a young adult, I know you’ll be encouraged by this series. In this episode, I chat with Meg Jay, PHD, a developmental clinical psychologist who specializes in twentysomethings. She is the author of , and the cult classic . Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and her work...

EP. 186: [Tough Twenties] Being an Excellent Employee

Sunshine Parenting

In the Tough Twenties series, I'm interviewing young adults, answering questions submitted by listeners, and sharing resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you're an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you're parenting a young adult, I know you'll be encouraged by this series. In this episode, I chat with summer camp directors Andy and Alison Moeshberger. Each year they interview, hire, and train two hundred young adult counselors, so they have a lot of great insights on the skills and traits that lead to success at work for young...

EP. 185 [Tough Twenties] Myths that Might be Holding You Back from Living Your Best Life

Sunshine Parenting

In this episode, I share about some myths that can hold you back from living your best life. It's easy to get caught up in the pressure to conform and meet expectations of others. We can find ourselves striving for success based on societal standards or seeking validation from those around us. To live our best lives, it's essential to explore our unique strengths and follow our own path. During this episode I share about five myths many adults base their lives on, truths that counter those myths, and what you can do now to start living your best life. It took me a long time to learn...

EP. 184: [Tough Twenties] Creating Community and Connections with Owen, Age 20

Sunshine Parenting

In the Tough Twenties series, I'm interviewing young adults, answering questions submitted by listeners, and sharing resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you're an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you're parenting a young adult, I know you'll be encouraged by this series. In this episode I'm chatting with my son, Owen, who has just entered into his twenties. We discuss building connections and relationships in young adulthood and how unplugging from technology can help foster those connections. Owen shares his experiences as a sophomore...

Ep. 183: [Tough Twenties] Foundational Health Habits with Charlotte, Age 25

Sunshine Parenting

In the Tough Twenties series, I'm interviewing young adults, answering questions submitted by listeners, and sharing resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you're an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you're parenting a young adult, I know you'll be encouraged by this series. In this episode my daughter Charlotte, age 25, and I talk about one area that can be challenging during the transition to adulthood - taking care of health. This episode was motivated by the following listener question: How do I manage the transition from college...

Ep. 182: [Tough Twenties] Gretchen, Age 29, on Relationships

Sunshine Parenting

Navigating dating and romantic relationships - and figuring out how to decide who to commit to and marry- is one of the biggest decisions of the twenties. In this episode, I'm chatting with my daughter Gretchen, age 29, about her romantic relationships in her twenties, what she's learned from her own experiences and her observations and discussion with other young adults, and from the book, The Defining Decade (Meg Jay, PhD). Get in touch: Previous Tough Twenties Episodes Links: (post I read from in this episode) “Think hard about who you marry. It’s the most important decision...

Ep. 181: Tough Twenties - Ready for Adulthood

Sunshine Parenting

The Tough Twenties series continues with a discussion of skills to work on to be ready for adulthood, a mindset shift for parents and young adults, and how to foster connection and friendships rather than competition. Resource: In this episode, I share about my Listener Question: This week I give my response to this listener question, which was submitted on : "How to see school/work/social gatherings as a common ground of building friendship rather than a competition of who is better (performance, looks, etc.)" Get in touch: Related: Self-Reflection Ideas:

Ep. 180: Tough Twenties - Charlotte, Age 25

Sunshine Parenting

It is not an easy time to be a young adult. In this new series on , I'll interview young adults, answer questions submitted by listeners, and share resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you're an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you're parenting a young adult, I know you'll be encouraged by this series. In this first episode of the Tough Twenties series, I'm chatting with my daughter Charlotte, age 25. We talk about Charlotte's early twenties and the pivots she's made so far as she navigated a college transfer, a challenging...

Ep. 179: Middle School Superpowers with Phyllis Fagell

Sunshine Parenting

is now available on ! for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. In Episode 179, I chat with Phyllis Fagell about her amazing book, ABOUT THE BOOK When things don’t go right for a tween, it often feels HUGE: failing a test, being left out of a group chat, struggling with body image or identity, getting cut from a team. Middle school is often one of the rockiest times in a child’s life, even without today’s added challenges: a pandemic, the fear of school violence, divisive politics, and the scourge of social media. It’s filled with...

More Episodes

Enjoy the little things because one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things.

In Episode 63, I’m chatting with my friend Sara Kuljis of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp. We talk about family gratitude practices and lessons from camp for having more grateful families. At Thanksgiving, it's easy to remember to be grateful, but the habit of gratitude -- practiced at camp, at home, and in the world -- helps us to be happier all year long.

BIG IDEAS

Gratitude is a muscle. We can build it with practice.
Research has shown that those who express gratitude daily have a more optimistic view of life and a healthier well-being.
Developing relationships with the people around us makes it easier to share authentic gratitude.
Model respect by thanking others, especially those who serve us.
- Use their first names when possible.
- Make eye contact

Ways to show gratitude at camp or at home :

Flower Sunday -- the practice of handing a daisy while sharing an affirmation or gratitude with another person. You give your flower away and receive a flower from someone who acknowledges an action or quality they appreciate. Using a token such as a flower makes a difference.
WOW Bulletin Board -- staff and campers send and receive notes to build each other up and express thanks.
Thankful Thursday -- a note, text message or phone call to someone expressing thanks can become a helpful habit.
3 Good Things -- share three good things that happened at the end of each day.
- Commit to sharing them with friend or family member via text. It helps with accountability and makes it easier to remember.
- Go around the dinner table and share with your family or friends.
- Write them down in a journal before bed, or share three things you are thankful for first thing in the morning.
- This habit can not only strengthen your gratitude muscle but also deepen your relationships and improve your outlook on life.
Gratitude Jar -- keep slips of paper for family write down things they are grateful for and collect the scraps in a jar.
- Share the memories collected over the year at New Year's Eve or at Thanksgiving or anytime.
- Attach the messages to a bulletin board or even to the Christmas Tree!
Warm Fuzzies -- Take a sheet of paper for each person, write their name on it and pass it around. Have everyone write down what they appreciate about that person.
- Be specific. It is nice to recognize precise actions or character strengths we appreciate in others.
Go around the table at mealtime and share 3 good things, something you are grateful for (besides friends and family) or something you are grateful for about yourself

Ask children to think of ways they would like to show gratitude for others. Children have really good ideas themselves.

QUOTES

Audrey: "We cannot raise grateful kids if we are not promoting our own gratitude."

Audrey: "It's important to remember that it's not just about completing a task, like sending a text or writing in your journal. It's about taking the moment to feel thankful. We need to take the task out of it and feel the gratitude."

Sara: "At the end of the day being grateful makes me kinder and softer to those around me."

Sara: "There's a lot of not-feeling-good-enough in the world. I enjoy helping people identify their natural talents and the natural goodness that is built in them and being intentional about building those into strengths for making a positive impact in the world."