Thanksgiving: A Time for Teaching
How to make the day more meaningful for your family
Thanksgiving has become a day of football, fun and food. It is also an extraordinary teaching opportunity for parents. In the hectic pace of modern life, Thanksgiving is one of the few times during the year when most families all sit down at the table at the same time - to eat, to talk and to reaffirm the common values that hold us together as a family and as a nation.
Parents not only have an occasion to enjoy Thanksgiving, we have a chance to teach Thanksgiving - to help our children understand and appreciate the significance of family bonds, faith and American values.
No one wants children to think of this day as a celebration of gluttony or a TV sports endurance test. How our children view this day depends in large part on what we emphasize as important.
Since the first Thanksgiving observed by the Pilgrims, this holiday has remained basically a home and family celebration. At a period when many people feel that traditional home and family values are at risk, Thanksgiving is a time for parents to confirm the importance of what this day really means.
Here are 10 suggestions to make this day more meaningful for children:
1. Everyone, child and adult, should have some part in preparing the meal. Even the smallest child can help. Mashing potatoes, setting the table, making decorations are not just Mom's job -these tasks allow everyone to be an important part of the celebration.
2. Turn off the TV! One hour to spend talking at the table with our children is worth it. This is a strong message that this family time is important.
3. Every family has its own traditions. Take time to explain them. Even adults like to hear what binds our generations together. Let children know that a special recipe has been handed down for generations in your family. If you don't have any special traditions - this is the year to start some!
4. Celebrate your faith. Let your children lead the prayer or other observance. Kids coming home from college or other adult children are never too old for this honor.
5. Talk about Thanksgiving. Repeat the story of the Pilgrims and the hardships they endured. Listen to your children's thoughts on what that first Thanksgiving meant.
6. Be thankful. Some families ask all at the table to say what they are thankful for on this day.
7. Thanksgiving is a celebration of America's abundance. From the first Thanksgiving it has also been a time to share. Involve children in preparing a food basket for a needy family or take a family trip to donate to the local food bank.
8. Food is the natural topic at this meal. Turkey, cranberries, corn, potatoes and pumpkin are all New World foods - uniquely American. If your family has other ethnic traditions, make sure your children know the roots of these dishes - and of your family.
9. Grandparents and older family members should be encouraged to talk about the "good old days". Ask them to share how their Thanksgivings were different from today. Children can't know what we don't teach them.
10. Have fun! Laughter and love are a child's best teachers in the lessons of marriage, family, home and holiday.
Fun, family and food - a perfect combination. It can be even better by using this opportunity to strengthen your family's bonds of faith, values and tradition
