My oldest, my high anxiety boy, came to me Monday all distressed that his brothers, this family, the world, society at large didn’t embrace the true traditions of Thanksgiving. That they didn’t show true gratitude for what they had. (Peace Core… here he comes… haha)
So we had a brief discussion about it. Brief because when he gets like this there is no persuading him otherwise so I usually just send him off to play video games for an hour so he doesn’t escalate it into a full blown depression. Bad parenting, maybe, but it works. Brief also because he tends to come home after a weekend with his father this upset over things. Makes me believe he’s not taking his meds there. Sigh. Discussion only in trying to point out the shades of gray he need practice seeing.
But I believe my children are old enough to start truly looking at their lives with a bit more gratitude. We all tend to look back on the year at New Years Eve but Thanksgiving at its core is a harvest festival. We’re supposed to be thankful that we have enough to make it through the winter. An analogy that doesn’t play in today’s modern world. So instead we tend to look at our lives, back at our year and contemplate what we are thankful for.
Today at Luke’s counseling session he told me (after) that his counselor suggested he stop worrying about the world. That doing it was making him too stressed. (Sure, take the word of the guy over Mom… lol… but that’s why he see’s him.. to get through to him… still!) So he said he’d try. And lucky for him today is a day of doing nothing. Home from school, not having to come with me to work, he has nothing on his docket all day but a few chores. We shall see how well he takes the therapists words to heart.
Especially since I took the youngest with me to work. Luke is inordinately worried about the behavior of his youngest brother and gets along with the middle son well, when the youngster is not in the picture. So without this “responsibility” perhaps he’ll enjoy his day.
I’m thankful for a lot of things. My social calendar is full to bursting. My finances are slowly sorting themselves out (baby step progress is still progress!) My oldest & youngest are doing well in school. I have a job I enjoy that fits my Mom lifestyle. And I haven’t gained BACK the 5 lbs I lost since Spring.
I have the boys this year for Thanksgiving. So we’re going to my mothers. We’ll be joined by my brother’s family (him home recovering from knee & hip surgery), my sister & her family and my mother’s friend Laura & son(s). It’s the usual crowd with the addition of my sister up from San Diego and we might all fit around the table without a kids table… but we’ll see. So it’ll be the usual situation of me as main assistant helper to my mom & my sister & sister-in-law doing much less on the excuse of waiting for instruction. lol. Although without my brother I have no idea who’s going to carve the bird!
Luke asked his youngest brother in the car if he was thankful for ANYTHING! Worry and sarcasm in his voice. Conor, totally immersed in his Nintendo 3Ds replied,
“Sure I am. I’m thankful I don’t live under a bridge!”
Perspective people.. with kids its all about perspective!