Diving Deeper with Samantha Mans
Exclusive Issue 2 Bonus Q&A
Feeling stressed, anxious, unregulated? Samantha Mans of Happiness Unleashed has some suggestions! Be sure to read the full article in issue 2 of MILSPO Social Co. Magazine.
Q: How does your children's journal bring the practice of gratitude and grounding to kids — and military kids specifically?
"That one came about because trying to get my daughter to go to bed at night was a horrible situation. She was basically just freaked out about being alone in her room. So we started asking her — this was before she was even in kindergarten, so she couldn't write — 'What is your favorite part of the day? Can you tell me two of your favorite things from today?'
And she would name them, and they were always something very small. Kids are always such a great reflection — I'd be like, 'Wow, I was a horrible mom today,' and she'd be like, 'Mom, but we sat down and ate dinner together.' And I'm like, 'Okay, so you don't even remember any of that. Cool. I guess I should let that go, too.'
It helped calm her down. And basically we just changed the word — because for kids, they're like, 'Well, what do you mean, gratitude?' It was her favorite part of the day. But that's basically her saying, this is what I was really thankful for today.
In the kids' version, there's a little more prompting that brings it into their brain language. 'My favorite part of the day was... I was kind to others today by doing... I was shown kindness when...' And then there's a whole side where they can just draw, because some kids aren't into writing and they're into drawing. Part of it was just reframing: how do we do gratitude with kids, but bring it to their level?"
Check out Samantha Journal Offerings on her Website.
Samantha Mans is the creator of Happiness Unleashed, a line of gratitude journals, affirmation card decks, and planners designed to help families build daily mindset habits. A military spouse edition is forthcoming in partnership with Plus One Heroes. Find her journals and free resources at her website.
