S2E6: Gratitude- We Only Have This Moment w. Dr. Holly Hatton
Nebraska Extension Early Childhood Program Area-Emily Manning, Dr. Holly Hatton, Ingrid Lindal, Erin Kampbell, Linda Reddish, Katie Krause, and LaDonna Werth
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11/26/2024
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In this timely episode, we discuss the science of gratitude and how being grateful can benefit us personally and professionally. Our guest Dr. Holly Hatton is an associate professor, extension specialist, and program area lead for the Early Childhood team at the University of Nebraska. She highlights that practicing gratitude doesn't mean ignoring challenges we face but reframing them. Dr. Hatton also shares research on how gratitude enhances well-being for early childhood caregivers, children, and families.
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- [00:00:00.000]This is The Good Life in Early Life, a production of Nebraska Extension.
- [00:00:12.880]I'm your host, Emily Manning, an early childhood extension educator.
- [00:00:16.520]In this episode, we are discussing the science of gratitude and how being grateful can help
- [00:00:21.660]you personally and professionally.
- [00:00:23.560]Our guest today, Dr. Holly Hatton, received her doctorate from the University of California
- [00:00:28.440]Davis in human development with a focus on caregiver well-being, early childhood development,
- [00:00:33.540]and early mental health.
- [00:00:35.000]Currently, Holly is an associate professor in child, youth, and family studies at the
- [00:00:39.340]University of Nebraska-Lincoln, an early childhood extension specialist, and the program
- [00:00:43.820]area leader for the Early Childhood Xxtension team.
- [00:00:46.280]Her primary interests and scholarly activity include co-creating and implementing programs
- [00:00:52.160]that aim to enhance the quality of early childhood development and care with a particular focus
- [00:00:57.620]on mental health,
- [00:00:58.420]emotional well-being, and social emotional development.
- [00:01:01.300]She is committed to addressing issues of systemic inequities in early care and education and
- [00:01:07.080]brings these issues to the forefront of her work.
- [00:01:09.660]Additionally, she is the compassionate, intelligent program area lead for our early childhood
- [00:01:14.340]state extension team, and she's also a member of this podcast production team.
- [00:01:19.180]So I work pretty closely with her.
- [00:01:21.080]I have the utmost joy and honor to welcome to the show our very own Dr. Holly Hatton.
- [00:01:27.380]Thanks for being here.
- [00:01:28.400]Thank you, Emily.
- [00:01:30.040]It's a great joy to be here today and thinking about our topic today of gratitude during
- [00:01:36.060]the month of November is really exciting.
- [00:01:37.920]Yeah, very timely topic.
- [00:01:40.200]What are you grateful for today, Holly, or what are you grateful for about your childhood?
- [00:01:45.260]So in this moment, I'm having a lot of gratitude for my cup of coffee that I got from Scooters.
- [00:01:52.040]So having a cup of hot coffee and really appreciating that.
- [00:01:54.980]It was a busy morning, so being able to get my coffee is
- [00:01:58.220]something I'm grateful for.
- [00:01:59.560]But no, I think also I just am so grateful today for my family and friends,
- [00:02:05.520]the relationships that I have that really provide me with this unwavering support
- [00:02:10.240]during the last few weeks that I just, you know, even getting a text this morning,
- [00:02:14.600]I received from someone just saying, I'm thinking about you and I hope all is okay.
- [00:02:20.340]So grateful for those relationships.
- [00:02:22.200]What about you?
- [00:02:23.100]I was thinking about this before we hopped on the show, and I also am really,
- [00:02:28.180]really grateful for the support that you guys have given me.
- [00:02:28.200]I'm really grateful for the people who surround me.
- [00:02:30.600]I think we have a really awesome early childhood team, and they've supported me through some
- [00:02:35.700]tough times professionally and personally.
- [00:02:37.960]And then also the family and friends that surround me just get us through those moments
- [00:02:43.340]that are hard.
- [00:02:44.840]And I'm just really grateful for that love that they share with me and I share back to
- [00:02:50.380]them.
- [00:02:50.620]And then also on a different note, I'm really grateful for shared public spaces.
- [00:02:56.600]It's like kind of a weird way to say it.
- [00:02:58.180]But a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I went to Fontenelle Forest near Omaha or
- [00:03:03.520]in Omaha.
- [00:03:04.140]And I really enjoy hiking and being in nature.
- [00:03:07.860]And that really fills my cup up and just being able to appreciate nature.
- [00:03:13.300]So I'm really grateful for shared public spaces, kind of a nerdy way to phrase that,
- [00:03:17.680]but mostly just like parks and natural spaces.
- [00:03:19.940]So that's what I'm grateful for today.
- [00:03:22.020]I would like to read a definition of gratitude by a professor and researcher
- [00:03:28.160]who works quite a bit in the space, Dr. Robert Emmons.
- [00:03:31.200]And he says that being grateful is a choice, a prevailing attitude that endures and is
- [00:03:38.720]relatively immune to the gains and losses that flow in and out of our lives.
- [00:03:43.260]When disaster strikes, gratitude provides a perspective from which we can view life
- [00:03:48.720]in its entirety and not be overwhelmed by temporary circumstances.
- [00:03:53.160]It, gratitude, is not a form of superficial happyology.
- [00:03:58.840]Instead, it means realizing the power you have to transform an obstacle into an opportunity.
- [00:04:04.900]It means reframing a loss into a potential gain,
- [00:04:08.560]recasting negativity into positive channels for gratitude.
- [00:04:12.340]It's a pretty powerful definition, I think.
- [00:04:15.920]So, Dr. Holly Hatton, what is your interpretation of this quote and what does it mean to you?
- [00:04:21.100]There's a lot in that definition of gratitude,
- [00:04:24.040]which I think really encompasses all that we would want to think about when
- [00:04:28.120]we think about gratitude. Not simply trying to confer
- [00:04:31.720]I feel happy about this, right?
- [00:04:33.580]So there's so much more we can think about when we unpack what gratitude is.
- [00:04:37.020]So I think one thing that really speaks to me in that quote is that gratitude is a practice.
- [00:04:42.240]It's like exercise.
- [00:04:43.580]It's incredibly rewarding habit that we need to be intentional about where we take regular
- [00:04:49.940]focus and attention to really think about and practice gratitude.
- [00:04:54.140]And later, I think we'll share some ways that we can do that.
- [00:04:56.680]And it can be difficult,
- [00:04:58.100]at first. It might sound simple, but it can be difficult to actually do it and do it authentically
- [00:05:04.200]and meaningfully.
- [00:05:05.060]And it can be really difficult to shift our focus and attention to what we appreciate,
- [00:05:09.720]which is interesting.
- [00:05:10.460]Like, why is that?
- [00:05:11.660]Why can we take this moment right now and think about what do I really appreciate in
- [00:05:16.200]this moment?
- [00:05:16.700]What am I potentially thankful for in this moment?
- [00:05:20.080]And by doing that, it really shifts our perspective, right?
- [00:05:23.040]And so I think what the quote is, is in part saying is that people think that
- [00:05:28.080]when you practice gratitude, it can mean that you ignore the challenges and
- [00:05:31.860]the problems that we can have in life.
- [00:05:33.400]And, often, we don't really realize the value of something until we've lost it.
- [00:05:38.960]And then we take the moment to appreciate it.
- [00:05:41.260]And sometimes, often, we only have this moment and things don't go as we plan.
- [00:05:46.040]So most of the transformative experiences that we can have can come from things
- [00:05:51.060]that test us, that are going to push us, that are going to challenge us.
- [00:05:54.940]And that's where we can really take gratitude as a way to
- [00:05:58.060]support us and having opportunities for growth, for self-discovery,
- [00:06:01.600]despite pain that we might have experienced, despite the difficulties that we might be
- [00:06:06.000]faced with. And so it's really shifting that mindset in a really intentional, meaningful
- [00:06:09.960]way about possibility and hope and then opening a door of
- [00:06:14.040]appreciation. One of the ways that we can do this is simply
- [00:06:18.000]again, not easy, but simply, what can I learn from this? What is
- [00:06:22.120]this going to teach me? How can I show up maybe in a better way next time?
- [00:06:26.020]What is this experience that I'm
- [00:06:28.040]appreciative for? I can share something personal.
- [00:06:31.620]If you know me, I talk about it a lot. My younger sister, we are 16 months apart.
- [00:06:35.800]She passed away from a really rare cancer in a matter of almost six months
- [00:06:40.220]during the pandemic. I look back
- [00:06:44.040]now and have appreciation for the time
- [00:06:48.000]that I had with her. I have so much gratitude for what that experience
- [00:06:52.100]taught me. What that experience taught me is to prioritize your family
- [00:06:56.280]and your friends and your loved ones.
- [00:06:58.020]Over anything else, that is priority and you only
- [00:07:02.280]have this moment. Thanks for sharing, Holly. My next question was going to be
- [00:07:06.140]about how Dr. Emmons said that people may view
- [00:07:10.180]the practice of gratitude as a trendy, superficial happyology, but I think
- [00:07:14.220]you just completely blew that perception out of the water with your
- [00:07:18.260]response. So, you were already talking about how you can practice gratitude
- [00:07:22.140]in these challenging and tough moments, but there's also research to show the benefits
- [00:07:26.380]of practicing gratitude.
- [00:07:28.360]And I'm going to list some, but then I'm going to throw it back to you and let you take it
- [00:07:32.100]from there. So, we do know that those who practice gratitude have
- [00:07:35.920]reported an increase in energy levels, improved sleep
- [00:07:39.900]quality, reduced blood pressure, increased feelings of alertness,
- [00:07:44.460]they experience fewer symptoms of pain, and they feel
- [00:07:48.260]a greater sense of joy. And these research findings were
- [00:07:52.080]also the work of Dr. Emmons in 2007, but also Dickens
- [00:07:56.100]in 2017 found that one of the
- [00:07:57.980]largest correlations of practicing gratitude was an
- [00:08:00.680]increase in reported happiness levels. So there are
- [00:08:04.540]scientifically proven benefits of practicing gratitude. And
- [00:08:09.500]so how do these findings resonate with you? And, then
- [00:08:12.860]also the work that you're doing? And, can you expand a
- [00:08:16.280]little bit more on those findings for us, Dr. Hatton?
- [00:08:18.860]Sure. So a lot of work that I'm engaged in is around
- [00:08:23.440]interventions. And so by that, it's a program or it's an
- [00:08:27.960]involving having people like teachers or parents take the
- [00:08:32.200]time to practice things like compassion and gratitude. And
- [00:08:35.620]then over a certain period of time and seeing how that's
- [00:08:38.000]related to aspects of physiological health, like heart
- [00:08:42.140]rate variability, how it's related to their stress. And
- [00:08:45.260]what we find is that those practices of gratitude, we have
- [00:08:48.280]different ones like journaling, writing a letter to someone that
- [00:08:51.640]you might have appreciation for. We're finding that actually
- [00:08:54.740]doing these intentional practices, as I mentioned earlier,
- [00:08:57.940]these benefits that you just mentioned. And then there's
- [00:09:00.420]other research, even I'll mention where they've had, you
- [00:09:03.100]know, looking at people such as veterans, and they find that
- [00:09:06.620]they have those who report having like a higher sense of
- [00:09:09.460]gratitude and appreciation are scoring higher in just
- [00:09:12.500]relational functioning, they feel more resilient, and they
- [00:09:16.760]have more post traumatic growth. So and we're also finding some
- [00:09:20.080]of that our own research with teachers is that
- [00:09:23.320]having this sense of higher aspects of present moment
- [00:09:27.920]judgment and appreciation is related to higher levels of post
- [00:09:32.520]traumatic growth as well. So feeling like I've had these
- [00:09:35.780]traumatic experiences happen to me, but from my traumatic
- [00:09:38.420]experiences, I can actually grow from them. And how can I learn
- [00:09:41.780]from them and not make it about what happened to me? But how do
- [00:09:45.560]I make meaning of it in a positive way? So just to say
- [00:09:48.820]that a lot of the work we're doing around interventions is
- [00:09:50.720]that these practices do tend to show benefits for teachers,
- [00:09:54.260]caregivers, as I just mentioned, you know, veterans, nurses,
- [00:09:57.080]social workers, like
- [00:09:57.900]there's a lot of research on how these practices can be
- [00:10:01.140]helpful in those different ways. And, even physiologically,
- [00:10:03.840]it can be related to reducing things like cortisol, which is
- [00:10:08.200]a marker of stress. So, it's not just your perception, these
- [00:10:10.880]practices are physically doing something to your body, like
- [00:10:14.060]supporting sleep quality, supporting that emotion
- [00:10:16.660]regulation and physiological regulation.
- [00:10:18.860]Yeah, so it's not a placebo. It's not a placebo effect,
- [00:10:23.560]because you and the other researchers have measured that
- [00:10:27.880]physically there are changes in your body when you are
- [00:10:30.820]intentional with practicing gratitude. And that's kind of
- [00:10:33.460]where I wanted to go next is your work in research focuses on
- [00:10:36.980]the well-being of caregivers and the practice of gratitude is
- [00:10:40.460]often interwoven into this work with caregiver well-being. Would
- [00:10:45.000]you share more about the science of gratitude and its impact on
- [00:10:47.920]well-being for caregivers that includes parents as well, and the
- [00:10:51.380]educators of children birth to eight? I'll start first with
- [00:10:54.500]collectively across some studies with parent and child relationships
- [00:10:57.860]and even now some cases with teachers that the child's
- [00:11:01.700]relationship with their parent or their teacher is really an
- [00:11:04.000]important context for their development of gratitude. But,
- [00:11:07.120]even as children in research, they find as young as age four is that
- [00:11:10.780]gratitude can help young children think between people
- [00:11:14.060]who are caring and who are someone they want to get to know
- [00:11:17.640]better and people who might be more selfish. So they've done
- [00:11:20.380]studies where they're like, you know, look at someone who's
- [00:11:22.520]practicing gratitude and someone who's not and who's more
- [00:11:24.860]desirable for you to get to know. And even four-year-olds
- [00:11:27.120]will say, I want to know the person
- [00:11:27.840]who's showing appreciation and gratitude, just as like a simple study. Or they've
- [00:11:32.480]had a six-year-old in a classroom with, you know, first graders take 10 to 15 minutes a day at school
- [00:11:38.640]to think about what they're thankful for with a gratitude journal, maybe with thank you cards.
- [00:11:42.680]And then they found that children's mental health was supported. Again, these children usually said
- [00:11:48.380]that they were grateful for their friendships, their family, and interestingly, going outdoors.
- [00:11:52.760]And so children tend to report that they're happier, that they feel more connected socially,
- [00:11:57.720]right, in the ways that they are practicing this gratitude. So yeah, there's benefits,
- [00:12:02.900]I think, for supporting the relationship aspect of it, for supporting a sense of feeling more
- [00:12:08.060]hope, of feeling more thankful. And I think what's also interesting is that
- [00:12:12.400]gratitude is relevant to all cultures, though there might be different societal differences
- [00:12:17.920]in how gratitude is valued and expressed among children and parents and caregivers
- [00:12:23.500]in different cultures. So in some cultures, the gratitude that
- [00:12:27.600]you're really practicing is more about the relatedness, interconnectedness, and the social
- [00:12:34.360]harmony, the social relationships aspect. Just to think about it, there are cultural
- [00:12:39.440]variations of how it might be practiced, though the benefits when they are practiced seem
- [00:12:43.780]to be the same. I really found the finding of
- [00:12:47.740]when kids were asked to look at people who were practicing gratitude and not
- [00:12:51.720]practicing gratitude. They chose someone that they wanted to get to know the person or be close to
- [00:12:57.260]the person who was practicing gratitude. And it made me think about leadership and the qualities
- [00:13:01.800]that we want our leaders to have. And I think that having that gratitude and appreciation for
- [00:13:08.660]the life that we have in the, in the resources and things that are in our lives is something
- [00:13:13.020]that I want from my leaders. And I was thinking that the kids are recognizing that too. I mean,
- [00:13:17.900]that's kind of like a, that was kind of like a study almost in the leadership quality. Like,
- [00:13:21.740]who do I want to follow? Who do I want to be with? I don't think that's where the researchers were
- [00:13:26.240]going with it, but that's how I took it. I mean, it's part of those values, right? And that moral
- [00:13:30.680]development of how do we want kids to be morally responsible in making these decisions. And so
- [00:13:36.560]it's interesting that gratitude and showing appreciation can support that really important
- [00:13:41.400]quality that we hope to see, you know, children have into adulthood and we want adults to have
- [00:13:45.380]it too. So. Yeah.
- [00:13:47.000]I also think it was neat that culturally, like the practice of gratitude might look different,
- [00:13:51.640]but the benefits remain the same. We don't always see that with some of the other things
- [00:13:56.500]that we find in research or so that that's really cool. So now I'm all excited about
- [00:14:01.380]gratitude and all the research and the findings, like I'm bought in. I was bought in before this
- [00:14:05.840]episode, but tell me how to do it. Tell me how to practice gratitude.
- [00:14:10.100]It's much like we exercise and what I find helpful and beneficial,
- [00:14:16.100]beneficial to me and makes me feel healthy and good might be different than you. Right. So
- [00:14:21.260]there's different ways we can practice. And I think it's leaning into something and
- [00:14:24.880]practicing a way of being grateful and practicing that gratitude that is helpful to you. So some
- [00:14:30.980]different ways that you can think about practicing again, simple, but not always easy. They have
- [00:14:36.160]actually done a study where they had people write a gratitude letter versus listing things
- [00:14:41.140]they were grateful for, like in a journal each day. And the gratitude letter was write
- [00:14:45.200]a letter of gratitude to somebody, but you don't actually have to send it, right? Just write the
- [00:14:49.040]letter. Although it could be nice to send it if it's possible, but maybe you're going to write
- [00:14:51.820]the letter of gratitude to someone that you can't send it to, and that could still have benefits.
- [00:14:55.780]So these researchers from the University of California, Riverside, they did this study
- [00:14:59.640]and they actually found that writing the gratitude letter seemed to have more benefits in terms of
- [00:15:05.420]people feeling that there's just different ways you can practice it. But consider writing a
- [00:15:09.000]gratitude letter. Some people might want to do an actual gratitude journal, and it's listing
- [00:15:14.300]five things that you are grateful for. And it's possible to think about the things that might have
- [00:15:19.320]been challenging and what did you learn from that, right? It's also a form of practicing that
- [00:15:23.340]gratitude. The point of these practices is you need to do them consistently and you have to
- [00:15:28.020]practice them over time because the research finds when you stop doing it, then the benefits don't
- [00:15:31.900]last. Another way you could do it is reflect on your gifts, which is really just taking
- [00:15:37.080]time to pause and notice and think and reflect on, for example, all the people who
- [00:15:43.400]have worked hard, some without knowing you at all, to make your life easier or more
- [00:15:47.560]pleasant. Or, you could pause and reflect about all the things we have today that make
- [00:15:51.140]our lives easier and just more comfortable and show some appreciation and gratitude for
- [00:15:55.100]that. You could consider the people and the pets or the nature, right, that enriches
- [00:16:01.720]your life. Those who might smile and cheer you on, the colleagues, right, you were
- [00:16:05.740]talking about colleagues earlier who really support you and taking a moment to pause and
- [00:16:10.260]reflect on that. We can even think of our ancestors who worked,
- [00:16:13.380]and did all of the things that happened with our ancestors so that we could live well in
- [00:16:17.800]this moment. And, then our friends who are there, our partners who are just there to
- [00:16:22.280]listen, right, and show a hand.
- [00:16:23.960]So just pausing and reflecting on those gifts in life can also be a way of practicing
- [00:16:28.200]gratitude. We can also just simply live in the moment.
- [00:16:31.200]So, if you know me, I say this a lot, and I think part of it is my experience with my
- [00:16:35.540]sister. I really do think this was a huge learning moment for me is that what we have
- [00:16:41.160]today is what we know in this moment.
- [00:16:43.280]We don't necessarily know what's going to happen tomorrow.
- [00:16:45.660]The past has happened, right?
- [00:16:47.380]We can think about what the past and what that's going to teach us.
- [00:16:49.640]But, right now we have this moment.
- [00:16:51.080]That's something I do know.
- [00:16:52.280]And so it's important to take maybe a deep breath and just pause and reflect and think
- [00:16:58.540]about how we can stay in this present moment and just appreciating it if that's possible.
- [00:17:02.760]And, then I think another way is to prioritize and spend time with your loved ones.
- [00:17:07.640]And I think that's showing a sense of appreciation.
- [00:17:10.380]One other one I would say is to start
- [00:17:13.260]your day possibly in the morning when you wake up.
- [00:17:15.660]You can take two to five minutes and think, okay, how do I want my day to go today?
- [00:17:20.140]Do I want to move in a hurry or can I really live with a sense of intention and appreciation?
- [00:17:25.940]And so they find that doing that practice actually has some benefits throughout the day.
- [00:17:29.660]Like just shifting that perspective of I'm going to be very intentional today about what I appreciate and not just hurry through my day.
- [00:17:37.320]And again, our gratitude can be simple, but it's not easy to practice it.
- [00:17:41.120]So, you really have to put deliberate effort in it.
- [00:17:43.100]It could be something that's going to have all those benefits that we talked about earlier.
- [00:17:46.300]Yeah, you gave us a lot of different ideas and ways to start practicing gratitude in ways that feel authentic.
- [00:17:52.680]So I'm going to throw a hypothetical situation to you and have you really walk us through how to maybe respond or practice gratitude through that situation.
- [00:18:03.960]So I'm just going to use a natural disaster.
- [00:18:06.600]Someone's house was destroyed in a tornado and all of their possessions are gone.
- [00:18:12.960]How would someone in that moment or that type of experience, how would they continue to practice gratitude and maybe what feelings and thoughts might they be having that might make it difficult to practice gratitude?
- [00:18:27.180]Yeah, and I think that if I gave like a cookie cutter, 'These are the five steps to use' during that situation.
- [00:18:33.640]I don't know that it would land the same with everyone.
- [00:18:36.160]Right. And so that's why I think it would be just pausing and reflecting, just at the least pausing and reflecting.
- [00:18:42.940]And saying, what do I appreciate right now in this moment?
- [00:18:45.440]If I can find anything I appreciate in this moment in terms of having just lost a home, right?
- [00:18:50.640]That's a huge loss.
- [00:18:51.620]And so is there any way I can have some kind of appreciation or be thankful for something in this moment?
- [00:18:58.600]Whether that's 'I have a blanket around my arms' or 'I have my family with me'.
- [00:19:03.580]You know, it could be practice, I think, in that way.
- [00:19:06.240]It can't be forced, right?
- [00:19:07.580]And so some people might not be able to be in a space at that moment to say, I can find gratitude.
- [00:19:12.060]And I think that's okay to say right now, I can't lean into that.
- [00:19:15.420]Like, it's just too much, right?
- [00:19:16.880]Thanks, Holly, for your response on that.
- [00:19:18.980]I think what resonated with me too is like, don't feel guilty if you can't practice gratitude through those moments and you can't find it in that.
- [00:19:26.540]And during a time that's really hard, you might find it later through that reflection and the meaning-making process after an event.
- [00:19:34.360]But still trying to like take notice of maybe the small things in those moments too.
- [00:19:39.700]What can I find appreciation for?
- [00:19:41.660]So, it's still worthwhile to try and pause and reflect and take appreciation.
- [00:19:46.660]But, if you're finding yourself saying like, 'I'm just really angry that this happened to me right now.
- [00:19:51.960]I don't feel grateful for it.'
- [00:19:53.880]Then, that's okay.
- [00:19:54.800]That's just where that's where you're at at that time.
- [00:19:57.800]But it might come come later through reflection.
- [00:20:00.960]I do have a clip of three educators talking about I interviewed them and asked them what they're grateful for in the profession of early childhood.
- [00:20:09.840]So I'd like to play that clip.
- [00:20:11.620]And have you respond to what they what they said.
- [00:20:15.200]So, I'm with three educators right now and I'm asking them, what are you grateful for with the early childhood profession?
- [00:20:23.080]What keeps you coming back every day to this job?
- [00:20:25.920]For me, it's the connection to the community.
- [00:20:29.940]It's being able to teach with a team that is very supportive.
- [00:20:33.960]Additionally, being a center here in Lincoln, we have such a great community that focuses on providing education.
- [00:20:41.600]Providing resources to center-based child cares.
- [00:20:45.680]And so having that ability to reach out to other early childhood educators in the community fulfills my cup when it feels empty and I don't feel alone.
- [00:20:55.960]And so I'm able to connect those people as a resource.
- [00:20:59.820]I like working with the kids.
- [00:21:02.120]It's not just working with the kids, but being able to not only positively influence them in their development,
- [00:21:09.660]but they also positively influence me.
- [00:21:11.120]It's something that I get excited to get up and come to work every day,
- [00:21:18.340]knowing that I've got a bunch of fresh, innocent, unbiased perspectives on life
- [00:21:24.940]and how much they just want to learn and how much they want to be around me as a big person.
- [00:21:32.320]But, I have the same feelings for them, you know, those mutual feelings,
- [00:21:36.760]how much I love to be around them and how much I love to assist them.
- [00:21:40.760]when it comes to their emotions or when it comes to what they want to know.
- [00:21:44.860]It just really fills my bucket to be able to be in an environment like that every day.
- [00:21:49.540]I think for me, it's along those same lines.
- [00:21:53.360]I think the kids bring me here every day,
- [00:21:56.080]but I think just those long-term connections is what keeps me coming back.
- [00:22:01.260]So, you know, being able to see them start, you know, at 18 months and be a part of that journey
- [00:22:06.560]until they leave us, unfortunately, at age five,
- [00:22:09.880]just watching them grow and develop into this tiny human being that's just so magical to be a part of that.
- [00:22:16.080]And when I need that reminder, you know, when it's hard to get out of bed, when it's hard to come,
- [00:22:20.380]that's what I come back to is what an amazing experience it is to be a part of this child's life
- [00:22:26.740]and to be a part of that.
- [00:22:28.080]It's just so magical.
- [00:22:28.920]And especially with toddlers, too, like that development is just every day something new and something different.
- [00:22:34.580]So that's what keeps me coming back.
- [00:22:36.500]So that was three educators and their response to
- [00:22:39.680]what they're grateful for in the profession.
- [00:22:42.160]Any reactions from you, Dr. Hatton?
- [00:22:45.020]Yes.
- [00:22:45.420]So what I hear that I think is the appreciation and the gratitude for the relationships, right?
- [00:22:52.160]It's that the relationships, and we hear this in our research with early care education professionals,
- [00:22:56.520]particularly teachers, providers, is that their joy and appreciation of the work they have is because of the relationships they have with each other, their team, right?
- [00:23:05.560]I think that was mentioned.
- [00:23:06.480]The relationships they have with the kids, the children.
- [00:23:09.400]And the relationships they have with the families.
- [00:23:10.800]And so I think that having that appreciation of relationships is really what stood out to me.
- [00:23:16.020]And we know that having, as I mentioned earlier, I mean, I started it today saying that I'm so grateful for my close relationships, right?
- [00:23:22.620]Yeah.
- [00:23:23.020]And I think making a positive difference on children's learning and development through those relationships is also something that we find in research as well.
- [00:23:30.160]Yeah.
- [00:23:30.480]So their responses are pretty common to what you've been hearing.
- [00:23:34.240]And that's what helps support them through this career.
- [00:23:37.560]Yeah.
- [00:23:38.120]So we're coming to.
- [00:23:39.320]So the end of our episode, any final thoughts you want to share about gratitude and the
- [00:23:44.420]science behind it before we end today?
- [00:23:46.480]Yeah.
- [00:23:46.880]Just to take this moment now to find some appreciation, if you can, and to practice that
- [00:23:53.540]gratitude.
- [00:23:53.980]And, if you're a parent or you're a teacher, know that children are watching you,
- [00:23:58.360]and so you can be a powerful influence on shaping their own practice of gratitude as
- [00:24:03.700]well.
- [00:24:03.920]So it's something that, again, is not simple, but it's easy to do once we really take the
- [00:24:08.680]time.
- [00:24:09.240]And be intentional about making it a daily practice if possible.
- [00:24:12.820]Great.
- [00:24:13.160]Thank you.
- [00:24:13.680]Well, that is it for our episode today on the science behind gratitude.
- [00:24:18.300]And so I just wanted to say to Dr. Holly Hatton, thank you so much for being on this episode
- [00:24:23.820]with me.
- [00:24:24.480]And thank you for sharing about the research behind gratitude and also the work that you're
- [00:24:29.300]doing.
- [00:24:29.580]I find it very interesting.
- [00:24:31.040]And I also really appreciated you sharing some of your personal examples of how you
- [00:24:36.120]practice gratitude during some challenging times.
- [00:24:38.580]So thank you.
- [00:24:39.160]Thank you for your time today.
- [00:24:40.400]Thank you for your expertise.
- [00:24:41.740]And thanks for being on the podcast.
- [00:24:44.020]Yeah.
- [00:24:44.620]Thank you.
- [00:24:45.200]One of my favorite topics is gratitude.
- [00:24:47.320]So thank you for the opportunity to share.
- [00:24:49.880]And hopefully I'll just continue being appreciative that we have this great podcast too.
- [00:24:55.800]So thank you for all your leadership with it.
- [00:24:58.500]Yeah, you bet.
- [00:24:59.260]Next, we are going to have a Nebraska youngster.
- [00:25:01.720]Tell us what he is grateful for.
- [00:25:04.000]What are you thankful for?
- [00:25:05.840]Chocolate.
- [00:25:07.540]Me too.
- [00:25:08.800]I love it.
- [00:25:09.080]Love chocolate.
- [00:25:09.820]This has been an episode of The Good Life in Early Life,
- [00:25:14.620]a Nebraska Extension early childhood production with your host, Emily Manning.
- [00:25:18.540]For more information on early childhood, check out our website at child.unl.edu.
- [00:25:23.160]If you like the show, subscribe and tell your friends to listen.
- [00:25:26.540]The show production team is Emily Manning, Dr. Holly Hatton, Aaron Kampff-Bell,
- [00:25:31.140]Ingrid Lindahl, Linda Reddish, Kim Welsant, LaDonna Wirth, and Katie Krause.
- [00:25:36.360]See you next time, and thanks for listening.
- [00:25:38.580]Bye-bye.
- [00:25:39.060]- Bye.
- [00:25:39.900]you
- [00:25:41.960]you
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