QUESTION: Is there a way to remember to be thankful every day, not just on a holiday?

ANSWER: Perhaps this is the attitude you are looking for:

I Am Thankful:

•For the wife who says it’s hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me and not out with someone else.

•For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

•For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because it means she is at home and not on the streets.

•For the taxes I pay, because it means I am employed.

•For the mess to clean up after a party, because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

•For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

•For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.

•For rooms that need cleaning, gutters that need fixing and sidewalks that need shoveling, because it means I have a home.

•For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means we have freedom of speech.

•For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and have been blessed with transportation.

•For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.

•For my teenager’s music that seems way too loud, because it means I can hear.

•For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.

•For the weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.

•For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means that there are things to do and I’ve got skills to help them get accomplished.

To talk with a parenting specialist about the challenges in raising children, call the toll-free Parent WarmLine at 1-888-584-2204/Línea de Apoyo at 877-434-9528. For free emergency child care call Crisis Nursery at 1-877-434-9599. Check out www:familiesandcommunities.org