#AskAbby: How do you teach Willow the spirit of Thanksgiving?

There’s so much more to Thanksgiving than a fun opportunity to sit around a delicious dinner with friends and family. Now that Willow is older, we’ve begun to teach her to the greater meaning behind the holiday: gratitude and generosity. We recently sat down to go through her toys to pick out a few that we would donate to other children who aren’t fortunate enough to have them. It was quite comical explaining to Willow that there are kids who don’t have toys… she couldn’t believe it! I’m really happy that she is beginning to understand these concepts and how important it is to share her abundance with others. We’re hoping to continue these lessons with more charitable work and donations as she gets older.

Another aspect of Thanksgiving we’re hoping to instill in her is how to appreciate doing activities with the entire family. Dinner is a VERY collaborative effort in our family! It’s always a joy watching Willow participate and contribute in making the big dinner!

After dinner is prepared and we’re all sitting at the table, everyone in the family takes a turn of sharing with the group what they are especially thankful for that year. Willow is still getting a hang of her public speaking skills but it’s a great habit for her to practice!

Our Thanksgivings are always concluded with a big family game of Pictionary! It’s usually boys versus girls and then losers have to do the dishes. Never too early to start teaching her a good sense of family competition and fun!