What it means to be grateful for something
When you are grateful for something, it means that you value it to a great extent. It’s a feeling of appreciation or thankfulness for something. Usually when those words are said you might think of Thanksgiving, when everyone is going around the table and saying what they are grateful for this year. In other words, the phrase is used to describe a great value of yours at this point in your life. This is a question you were probably being asked at the very beginning of your school life. When you were younger you most likely looked at the people around you to come up with an answer for yourself, you may have not understood what they meant. Teachers would give examples and you gained an understanding, we look at the things and people we are happy to have in our lives. It could be anything from a parent that sings to you to sleep each night to a new video game. Then, time goes by and as you get older the question becomes easier to answer with new experiences and new relationships.
What are teens grateful for?
In my personal opinion, it seems that teens would be most grateful for technology and their friends. In everyday life, teens are always looking at their phones to get information for homework. Almost every person in the world who owns a phone relies on it at some point during their everyday life. Technology has become a 
very valued part of society. Most people always have their phones on them. Also, a plethora of teens use their phones to connect with their friends through social media. More importantly, many teens value having friends to share what they’re going through, there is an understanding if they are closer to your age. I know, I for one, am always talking to my friends about what’s bothering me. By having people to share what’s going on; you feel better in the end. These are just two things that in my opinion are important to teens.
Student Interviews
There are many different things teens are grateful for today in society. When Hauppauge students were being interviewed, each student responded in similar ways. They all somewhat said something about family and friends. Sam said, “I am grateful for money, my siblings, and my friends.” Then Laila said, “I am grateful for my family and friends.” So both of these students said that they were grateful for their family and friends. Finally, Juliana stated, “I’m thankful for my siblings and friends.” In response to these interviews, it is inferred that family and friends are the most important values to teens right now.
Additional Research
There have been various pieces of research done to find what teens are grateful for in their lives, especially with Thanksgiving coming about soon. This research goes into detail about what being grateful can do for your health. Throughout a New York Times article produced last year, they explained that gratitude can improve your well-being. It increases positive mood and emotional health. It goes on to say that the most populous responses included family, relationships, sports, and necessities (New York Times). The article contains quotes from students from high schools all around the country. Students went into detail as to why a certain thing was important to them. This conveys that family and friends were often used to describe a thing that people are grateful for. Also, they would talk about special times or moments that stood out, when describing why family or a special person was important to them. More importantly, the thing that came to most minds was family and friends. Therefore, when students were asked questions that they have probably been asked once every year of their lives, the popular responses among teens were family, friends, and necessities. Although we rely so heavily on our devices day to day, it was a pleasant surprise to see that teens prioritize their family and friends over technology.
