November Parenting Chronicles

It’s time for another Parenting Chronicles and this month I thought I would share some Thanksgiving memories and parenting faux paus. Thanksgiving was always the start of the holiday season in our home. It was a big deal and we looked forward to it every year. Some years were a bit chaotic. Okay, pretty much every year was that way but I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything in the world.

Some years were a bit more than others some were bittersweet and they are memories for a whole other reason. Some were simply the best. Being older now I can appreciate the time that I had with my parents even more. I can also appreciate the time with my own children.

Don’t Throw Things!

The first year my oldest brother was married and out of the house his then wife and him came for dinner. For whatever reason that year my parents were sitting in the living room while us kids were in the dining room. I was in my teens while the younger two were preteens. I don’t remember what happened but someone threw some sweet peas and it caused a chain reaction of flying sweet peas.

His wife thought we had no manners and got up and left. My father gave us a dressing down about throwing food at the dinner table. It honestly was the one time we ever did something like that and it was funny but boy did my poor brother hear about it for the next week when he finally went home.

That should have been a clue that things with her wasn’t going to work out. I mean she had no sense of humor and just before they divorced she told me I was a snob. I’m not, I just didn’t like her and didn’t want to talk to her ever. It’s not my fault she was irritating.

Where’s the Meat?

One year my grandparents came and stayed with us during Thanksgiving. They didn’t eat with us, they just stayed at our house. They went down to my uncle’s home for dinner. He had jut gotten married and wanted to impress my grandparents. I don’t know what happened at that dinner but I can tell you that my grandfather was anything but impressed. They came back to our house and the first thing my grandfather said was “I told you they would have actual food.” He was hungry though and ate two plates of leftovers. We always had leftovers because my mother made two big turkeys every year.

This particular year was the same year that my grandfather told my father over and over again how he was hanging the Christmas decorations wrong. It was one of those holidays where you can’t wait for the guests to leave. They make movies about holidays like this. I remember after it was over and my grandparents had left that my dad made the remark that they didn’t want to eat with us but had no problem taking over the house.

What’s a Little Dirt?

I know I have shared bits and pieces of this particular story before. The second Thanksgiving after my father passed away it was just my mom, my younger brother, and I. I was determine to make sure we celebrated as we always had even though it was just the three of us that year. My mother ended up going to my sister’s house to visit for a while and I was left to cook the dinner. It was the first time I was doing the turkey on my own and boy did we end up having issues. When it came time to turn the turkey I had my brother help me. We dropped the turkey on the floor. Not even on purpose, it just sort of happened. That sucker hit the floor, turkey flew everywhere including the ceiling, and we were left staring horrified. Of course, we scoop that baby up dropped him back in the pan and agreed to take what happened to our graves. That didn’t really last, cause the moment our mother started eating the turkey we told it all. If there was any dirt on the floor it didn’t hurt the turkey at all. In fact, I would say it was one of the best turkeys’ I have ever made.

Just Breathe

The thing about the holidays with kids, regardless of their age, is that you have to learn to just simply stop nd take a breath. Things are going to happen. They are going to misbehave or not do things the way you do them. You must be able to step back and remember that the day is about more than whatever is going on at the moment. You are together, happy (for the most part), and whole. Especially after the year the whole world had last year.