6 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Parents
Collaborative Post
Over the years our parents have nurtured, guided and supported us. Wanting to show appreciation through our actions can seem difficult, and telling them how grateful is sometimes challenging to put into words. However, there are ways to show appreciation to your senior parents by giving your time, your assistance and a listening ear, all of which will show them that you love them.
Spend time together
We all have busy lives, and our parents understand and appreciate that, but arrange to meet up regularly, with the dates agreed in your diary as important as any work meeting or date night. You can meet them at home or take them out to local venues like the city’s Botanical Gardens or a favourite café for coffee and cake. Ask them questions about their lives that you have never asked before.
Celebrate together
Encourage your children to keep in contact with your parents, particularly when they are teenagers and young adults. Invite your parents to family birthday celebrations, and arrange a family celebration for their wedding anniversary, including a symbolic and meaningful anniversary gift. Share other important events too, such as a graduation, passing a driving test or a big project at college.
Home assistance
As our parents get older, the maintenance of a home can become more challenging. Stop by once or twice a week to help out with cutting the grass, hoover around the house, tidy up the kitchen or wash and fold laundry.
If you have DIY skills, take responsibility for any repairs needed in the home. If you cannot help, hire someone to do this for them so that your parents do not have to pay out themselves.
Our parents have often spent hours as a taxi service for us when we were younger and as an adult, you can return the favour and take them where they need to go, particularly if they are losing confidence in driving or it has become difficult in some way.
Be respectful of your parents’ privacy and ask their permission before taking on any task. Some parents may find it difficult to ask for help or hide the fact they need help.
Treat your parents
If you can, treat your parents by taking them out to dinner or paying for them to go on holiday together as a token of your appreciation for all they have done for you. You could buy a subscription service you know they would love, whether to a television network, a magazine or a monthly box of goodies related to a hobby that is delivered directly to their door. If your parents live in another country, you can still organise a gift for delivery, from books to New Zealand to fresh flowers to Barcelona.
Tell them you love them
Write a letter to thank your parents for all they have done for you. Be specific about what you are most grateful for. It is likely to surprise your parents the things that mean so much to you that they may have forgotten about. This letter can be re-read whenever they want to remember your thoughtful words and may be an easier way for you to tell your parents “I love you”, without saying it out loud.
Make a gift
Bake a cake or take a lovely photograph of the two of them and have this framed. Taking time to make a gift will be something any parent will appreciate. If you are artistic, paint a portrait or use your skills in some way that your parents can admire and show off. Alternatively, consider a gift that will last a lifetime that is symbolic of the love you share with your parents.
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
