Taking those negative thoughts captive

As so often happens in parenting, I learned a lesson that I was trying to teach my kids.  Noah was grumbling about math, saying how much he hates it, how hard it is, on and on.  I told him he needed to change the way he was thinking and talking about it.  I told him to find something to be grateful about in regards to math.  He tried and came up empty, so I said, "Instead of complaining about how much you hate it, you could be thankful that you have a brain that can think and a hand that can write." 

I'm not sure the lesson was very effective with him, but I was reminded of it minutes later when I went to clean the kitchen.  I caught myself thinking things like, "I hate cleaning.  I'm no good at it, and what's the point anyway? Somebody is going to come along and mess it all up again."  With my own lesson ringing in my ears, I told myself to find something to be grateful for in the messy kitchen.  I changed my thinking to, "I'm thankful that I have such a nice kitchen.  I'm thankful for the mess, because it means I have food and I have children. I'm thankful that I'm healthy and able to clean."  My whole attitude changed, and I soon had a nice, clean kitchen.

Maybe the lesson did sink in with Noah too, because his math today was the best it's been in a long time!