Last year and the year before, I had the kids make a Thankful Tree and a Thankful Turkey. Don't they look so proud? (I guess I didn't blog about the turkey from last year but I have it stored away in my closet.)
This year with both kids in school and afternoons full of homework and practice and Faith Formation and all three of us just being worn out, I never got around to making anything crafty.
However, I did want the kids to at least make a list of things they are thankful for. So I put "Things I Am Thankful For" at the top of a sheet of paper and asked the kids to start writing.
Peter didn't want to do it because "that's too much like school work!" And Sarah who is usually game for something like this seemed pretty disturbed from the start.
So Peter sat at the table and in less than 30 seconds had written:
God
Mom
Dad
Gramae (Grandma)
Grendpa (Grandpa, of course)
DSi
Home
World
Food
Plants
And when he was done said, "There. Can I go play my DSi now?
O.k. Not quite the spirit of thankfulness I was looking for and then out of the middle of nowhere, Hurricane Sarah swept through and made landfall right at my kitchen table.
She began to scream (yes, scream!) and cry that she wanted to do it like Peter.
"Of course you can do it like Peter! That's what I want you to do! Make a list, just like Peter!" My frantic smiles did nothing to calm her and I knew I was in for at least a ten minute storm.
"NO! NO! I WANT TO DO IT LIKE PETER!"
Oh. I get it. She wants to be able to write her words like Peter and of course, she doesn't know how to spell everything.
"Honey, why don't you tell me what you want on your list and I can write the words for you!" More frantic smiling.
"NO! NO! I WANT TO DO IT LIKE PETER!"
"Well, honey, why don't you tell me what you want to write and I'll tell you how to spell the words." More frantic smiling.
"NO! NO! I WANT TO DO IT LIKE PETER!"
At this point, I was done with the frantic smiling and had to pull out the old, "Well, if you can't calm down, then you are going to have to go sit in your room for a while."
"I just want to do it like Peter!"
She was so mad! Certainly not how I wanted our Thanksgiving Thankful List making to go. So I let her tantrum for another couple of minutes and then she began to lose steam and sat at the table and proceeded to write the following list without any help from me:
God
No
Now
Am
A
I cracked up when I saw it and it almost made the 10 minute screaming and crying fit worth it. She just wanted to make her list on her own. That girl is an interesting and sometimes annoying mix of stubborn and independent. (And if Sarah Palin is not the first female President, then maybe my Sarah will be!)
And if God and a few kindergarten site words are all that's on her Thankful List, then I guess I'm o.k. with that.
4 comments:
I think it's a great idea, and although they may not always get the gist of it, they'll remember the meaning of being Thankful when they are older!
That is a great idea...I'm gonna run it by the 4 year old. The answers will be fun;)
It really was a great idea, even if it didn't go how you planned it. :)
Just think of how much you will smile when you look back at that list in a few years ;)
Post a Comment