How to Talk to Kids about Thanksgiving
As the holidays get closer and closer, I’ve been thinking about how to talk to kids about Thanksgiving.
In our school’s Creating & Welcoming and Inclusive Community toolkit, we talk about how to introduce critical consciousness in a developmentally appropriate way.
During the First Plane of Development (0-6 years-old), our goal is to help children develop a feeling of safety, trust in the world, and secure attachments with the adults in their lives. With that foundation in place, children are then able to use their reasoning mind (which develops in the Second Plane, approximately around their 6th birthday) to explore issues of fairness and injustice in the broader world.
My children are solidly in the Second Plane (6-12 years-old), so now is the time to make sure they build their critical consciousness. Mother Magazine says, “As we see the current injustices happening in our country, we are reminded of the history that was white-washed to tell only one side of the story and we don’t want history to repeat itself.” Thanksgiving is such an example of this!
They offer a concise summary of the reality of the first feast:
Here’s the short story: There was a feast that happened in 1621 at Plimoth Plantation. The pilgrims, who referred to themselves as separatists at the time, were there, as well as members of the Wampanoag tribe. There are no first-hand written accounts that describe the tribe being invited to the celebration, but the assumption was made based on the knowledge that the Wampanoag had taught the settlers how to farm and they were most likely there at the time of harvest. The actual holiday of Thanksgiving was not declared until a couple hundred years later, by the colonist, as a way to unite the country during the civil war. In between, there was genocide, slavery, and disease that wiped out many of the existing tribes. This is just a snippet of the complex and often untold story of how Thanksgiving came to be. Parents need to do their research and make sure they have a better understanding of what actually happened before discussing any of it with their children.
How to Talk to Your Kids about Thanksgiving
The article underscores two important points:
“Perhaps most importantly—during the Thanksgiving season and beyond—make sure you are always acknowledging and expressing your gratitude to the people that stood here on this land long before us. Lead by example, and your children will likely follow.”
and…
“Talking about it with our children and empowering them to use their voice for good can help assure we don’t rewrite history to leave out all of the persecution and inequity once again. Help them to know they can make a difference in what is happening today and give them concrete ways they can give back. Do your research and decide how you can be an activist in a way that works for your family.”