A Thank You Note from Stella

I received a Thank You note from Stella last week. There was a stamp on the envelope but it wasn’t postmarked. I assumed that they must have dropped it into our letterbox in person. They must have returned to Melbourne early or at least her dad did. Stella and her parents spend this time of the year in the country. It was just a simple note thanking me for the pyjamas and picture book. I could see that she tried to be neat in her writing and spotted two spelling mistakes for the words: pyjamas and picture. The y was missing in pyjamas and the word for picture was written as pikch. LOL. Give the kid a break, This Melbourne Nanny! Her mum probably saw this as the right time to introduce the art of letter writing now that she is starting to write and read.

Seriously, I appreciated Stella’s effort. I was very miserable that day because it was very hot and the note cheered me up a little. I wonder if she was made to make thank you notes or did she eagerly take it up after it was suggested? Is it possible that she came up with the idea herself? I think I will bring it up in a conversation when I see her next week.

It really is nice to receive a Thank You note but it is not something I aim for whenever I give someone a gift. I just think that it is nice to thank someone properly if he or she has taken time and trouble to get me a gift. A young child of say between the age of 3 & 4 can be asked to draw a nice picture to thank someone. An adult can help the child to write a simple message. Older children may be able to do both themselves. Because there may be quite a few people to thank, children do get tired of doing the same thing over and over. I have two solutions to this.
1. Spread out the work over a few days. They don’t have to be all posted on Boxing Day. Encourage the child to do a few each day. It is the thought that counts.
2. Now, I am not big on introducing the computer to a child too soon but many parents are big on it. So, if the child has access to the home computer, make use of a simple software like MS Paint for a child to create a picture for the Thank You note and then type a simple message under the picture before adding the child’s name. Just print out the required amount (one at a time) and make sure that each is addressed to the right person because you don’t want to print out 15 copies addressed to Uncle Greg!

The second solution sounds like cheating but it is an easier option to keep the young child motivated and interested. It is far better than forcing the child to churn out multiple copies by hand, under duress.