Ah, yes, it's been a while since I last posted. Well. There was that hurricane (technically a storm by the time it came ashore) that put us out of power for a few days. And all the fallout after. Forget Halloween (this year it was delayed by a week by NJ governor Chris Christie and it was a "trunk or treat" in our town due to the fallen power lines and trees everywhere) - this was a time for reflection on how thankful we need to be for all we have.
It's funny how taking electricity away from people for a week or two (this was the range in our area) brings out people's best and worst. At their best - people with power inviting friends and family to stay with them in their homes, preparing hot meals for others, inviting people to take a hot shower, lending out generators, helping move fallen trees for neighbors, etc. And their worst - fighting in gas lines, fighting over power outlets at malls. It really made me think about just how dependent we are on electricity in every aspect of our lives, especially in the cooler northeast climates. And how thankful I am to have been born in a time that has these luxuries. I am not talking about iPads or GPSs or computers (which I lived without when I was a kid). I am talking about flipping a switch to make a light turn on, or heat my house, or get hot water. These are the really valuable luxuries I have, and I feel lucky to have been born in a time where I have them available to me. So for Thanksgiving, when I was enumerating al the things I had to be thankful for, these luxuries were right up there after my family and their health. The storm has really put things in perspective for me.
This year, I found Thanksgiving to be a time not just to think about all we have been blessed with and to show gratitude for those things, but to really think about the messages we are sending to our kids. How can we keep their sense of proportion in check about things that don't go their way, and do it using terms they can relate to? The best way I found is to simply use examples about myself or my husband (but I could just as easily use examples about my grandmother). Today my older son was going on about a toy he wanted "now". I was shocked. Never had he displayed such spoiled and entitled behavior. I thought I instilled a sense of appreciation for money, how we work so hard for things and save our money and spend it wisely. I began to explain to him about how when I grew up, my parents didn't have much money and so most of the time, I didn't get anything I wanted (and spiced it up with a few examples). These stories really spoke to him, because I told him something personal about myself and my experience; how I really wanted things but I had to wait or (most of the time) just accept not getting them at all. He loved hearing about how I felt when I was his age.
I don't want to raise entitled kids who don't have appreciation for all the things they have, be it electricity, hot water or a set of Lego. So this Thanksgiving I made a resolve to make my kids much more aware of the value of the things we are giving and, more importantly, the value of the things they already have, including their family.
From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope it was wonderful for you and your families. And don't forget, LeeLee Labels is offering a 25% off promotion on all labels, site-wide from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.
