“Have you said thank you?” is the line I often find myself saying to my seven year old when she receives a gift or she’s leaving a party or a play date.  She’s a well mannered child and does remember to say thank you most of the time but I still remind her just in case.  It’s our job as parents not only to teach our kids good manners but more importantly to lead by example.   I’m sure most of us are polite and always remember to thank our friends and family for the obvious things like gifts, their hospitality and their help. But what about the little things?

Sometimes I think it’s important to take a moment and reflect on how much love and support we receive everyday in little ways from people who we don’t always thank.  It could be the incredible, un-ending support that you get from your mum.  When was the last time you thanked your mum?  Or that friend who listens and supports without judgement and has done for years?  This goes way beyond good manners and this is what I want to teach my child.  Yes it’s so important to thank for the big things but even more important to say thank you for the repeated little things that our loved ones do for us without question, without expectation. I’m guilty of overlooking small gestures and taking them for granted but this year it’s something I want to get better at doing.

This year I am determined to #ResolveToRemember and appreciate the little things and teach my child to do the same.  Not so much by telling her, but by showing her.  There are so many ways to thank someone and I want to start doing some of these.  Small gestures like an unexpected phone call to say thank you or a handwritten note (much nicer than email) go a very long way.  One of my favourite ways though is to send a bunch of flowers.  I know how excited I get when I receive unexpected flowers – it more than makes my day and puts a big smile on my face no matter how the day was going before that.  So if I can do that for a loyal friend when it’s not an occasion, when it’s not a particularly bad or good time for her – but it’s just because I want her to know I appreciate her.  The best way I’ve found to send unexpected flowers is through Bloom & Wild who have beautiful letterbox flowers that fit through any ordinary letterbox.  No need for anyone to be home and this way you’re guaranteed that the surprise won’t be spoiled.

Today I’m going to send a bunch of letterbox flowers to a couple of friends and I know they definitely won’t be expecting it.  Tomorrow I am going to send a hand-written note to another friend.  And this is what I hope to continue doing this year and for long after – #ResolveToRemember the little things and say thank you more often.  And I want to share this with my daughter too so she can start to appreciate the kindness she experiences everyday.

Do you have friends and family that you don’t thank enough?  Is there someone who you could thank today?

This post is in partnership with Bloom & Wild, a flower service that I absolutely love and feel excited to share with you.