Children thrive on being able to count on traditional
Thanksgiving memories - the taste of Grandma's pumpkin
pie with the ruffled crust, the way Uncle Bud always
makes a gobble gobble sound when the turkey is placed
on the table, and the fun games cousins play after the
meal, or a multi-family hike in the woods to collect
brightly colored leaves. These memories will be remembered
and cherished for years to come!
Nowadays, Thanksgiving is in danger of becoming a
hurried blip before the onset of Christmas. Before Halloween's
hallowed eve is over and the Snickers bars are
gone, red and green have already appeared
on store shelves. Starbucks is not far behind with
red holiday cups and peppermint mocha frappaccinos.
But wait - before moving into the panic of the holidays,
let's pause for giving thanks, and include our children
in the process.
Gratefully, Thanksgiving remains a non-commercial
and fairly pure American holiday, requiring the simple
trio of food, football and family. For children, not
yet distracted by making wish lists for Christmas, this
is an opportunity to bask in the love of a caring family
and store rich memories for the future.
Actually involving children in the preparation for
Thanksgiving is a great way to make a mostly adult event
more child-friendly. For young, active children, waiting
for the turkey to cook, listening to endless adult chatter
and watching an afternoon of football may not seem quite
exciting enough. With some planning ahead, children
can be included in more aspects of the day's preparation,
giving them a sense of helpful participation and purposefulness.
Assign jobs in the kitchen to involve the children
- help Grandpa mash the potatoes, put the rolls in the
basket, and fill the nut cups to put by each place.
Before the meal, children can help decorate the table,
make name cards to assign seating, and fill the water
glasses.
An activity table set up in an out-of-the-way room
will give children a place to escape to if they tire
of football games or adult conversation. Include colored
paper, glue, scissors, stickers, etc., and also some
new coloring books or reading material. Set out board
games and a new puzzle for indoor fun, and a croquet
game available for letting off steam
outdoors.
Many excellent children's books are currently available
that provide the historical background of the pilgrims'
treacherous Mayflower crossing and their agonizing first
winter. By reading these books with children, parents
can impart the valuable lessons of religious freedom,
courage, persistence, resourcefulness, passion of belief
and friendship.
Children may be interested to learn the origin of
the holiday. It was first instituted by George Washington
"...that we may all unite in rendering unto God
our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and
protection of the people of this country". Although
New Englanders responded to the president's invitation,
the rest of the country eventually fell out of the habit
of celebrating Thanksgiving.
The story of Sarah Hale, a bold American author and
patriot, and mother of five young children, is told
in a charming book called "Thank You, Sarah"
by Laurie Anderson. Children will enjoy learning how
Sarah lobbied to restore Thanksgiving by appealing unsuccessfully
to four presidents before she convinced Abraham Lincoln
to reinstate the celebration as a way to unify the country
after the Civil War.
It pays to think ahead about what children might enjoy
on Thanksgiving Day, and to come prepared. Reminding
them in advance about who will be at this year's feast,
and how various people are related to one another will
make them feel more comfortable as well.
Most important, the season of Thanksgiving gives parents
the opportunity to teach their children how to pause
and recognize the blessings of another year. Include
children in verbalizing what they are thankful for,
along with adults, before the meal begins.
In this way, parents will encourage an attitude of
gratitude that hopefully will be practiced year round.
Parents who take the time to require habitual appreciation
likely will not produce children who end up with an
attitude of entitlement or ungratefulness. What a lot
we have to be thankful for!
A child-friendly Thanksgiving celebration will fill
children with warm memories, to be remembered and cherished
for years to come. Eventually, these same children
will leave home with well loved traditions to re-establish
in college dorms, first apartments and newlywed nests.
Thanksgiving - good food, good football, good family
time. And it all comes back like magic with the passing aroma
of Grandma's pumpkin pie.
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