Let's Talk Turkey
Written by Beth Mork – Child Care Provider in Champlin, Minnesota
In an effort to be sensitive to the pluralistic nature of our country, many people discourage the “celebration” of Thanksgiving as a holiday. It is noted by some people that our Native Americans residents have very little to be thankful for on this holiday. In exchange for their lessons on surviving in our unsettled land, we gave them diseases they were never exposed to before and imposed on them a judicial system that stole much of their land & properties.
Other people believe that the early settlers had a very rough beginning and they believe the Native Americans were less than gracious to their ancestors on more than one occasion. Those who had ancestors they can claim among the early setters have a difficult time not celebrating their survival in a new country. Some are quick to point out that the early settlers may not have really come here by choice either, and many believe they were forced out of their countries for religious or political reasons.
I find it sad that the statement that there is “Nothing New Under the Sun,” is really true. We have people all over the world to this day that are still forced from their native land for religious or political reasons. In our lifetime we have seen our country forced by humane reasons to host any number of other cultural groups because some group in power has decided to force a particular group of people from their home.
A fact remains that our Nation has designated Thanksgiving as a National Holiday. Our strong union system of strengthening the work force and our legislators have decreed that on this day, we will either have the day off or be paid additional wages as one way of recognizing this day as a holiday. So, that leaves us with what do we teach our children about what all of this means and what Thanksgiving is?
On the surface, Thanksgiving is a day we spend with our families. Even if your family does not celebrate the holiday, we all live in a country where many things will change this day because the government recognizes it as a holiday. No one will have mail delivery. Many banks and other businesses will close or reduce their hours so employees may spend the day with their families. It is difficult not to be aware of the fact that as a Nation, we “celebrate” this as a holiday.
As a provider, one option you may have is to teach the basics of what it means that Thanksgiving is a holiday, particularly to your clients. How? Ask your families what they do for Thanksgiving. Chart what the holidays means to your clients. How many eat turkey? How many eat ham? What are other foods each eats as a family tradition? List each and tally how many eat it. How many clients work that day? What professions do they represent? Children need to be aware that some people need to work every day. How many travel out of town for the holiday? How many stay at home? How many entertain? Does anyone have a unique way of celebrating such as serving dinner at a shelter or church or taking dinners to shut-ins?
The real goal of celebrating diversity is to encourage people to make no assumptions or generalize our beliefs. It is to have an open dialogue and find out what each of us does, how and why and then, most importantly to celebrate our differences and our rights to think, feel and act as our individual belief systems and cultures require us to do.
If your family or clients in your child care home celebrate Thanksgiving by including turkey as one of their main course items, you may wish to focus some of your efforts on teaching about turkeys or include a turkey dinner as part of your menu plans this month.
