What can gratitude look like in children?

It's not always about saying Thank You

At the end of the last academic year my daughter told me that she wanted to do her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. I was surprised but went, “Sure”.

When I read through the requirements I was reminded why it was that I, when I was about the same age, never did the Duke of Edinburgh Award. It was because the parental input required to get a Bronze DofE over the line is huge. And it always strikes me as ironic that this award, conceived by HRH to get disadvantaged children out and about and doing stuff, is dominated by go-get-’em middle class parents who have the resources to micro-manage the whole thing.