By Shari McMinn

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)

Oftentimes, children who are unique learners have special challenges that make them very self-focused. It is a conundrum for parents to simultaneously focus on their child’s issues while not making that child become the center of the family universe. My husband and I faced this dilemma with several of our children who had significant learning delays and emotional disturbances. It was a struggle for our other children to put up with their very needy siblings, especially when it always seemed that we had to address their behavioral issues before we could give attention to the less needy children.

One way we addressed this issue was by teaching all of our children to have a grateful heart for even the most basic things like fresh air, clean drinking water, loving family members, and our Christian faith. We would often put thankfulness as a top priority in the way we prayed and spoke in general conversation. It was especially difficult after my husband died unexpectedly because that loss was monumental for all of us and it was a challenge to find anything to be grateful about in the aftermath. Within a few years of his death, one of my teenage daughters was killed, so there was seemingly even less to be thankful for.