#Thanksgiving | Staying Sane While Raising Your Teens

Posts filed under ‘#Thanksgiving’

Moms, Dads, and Gratitude: How Appreciation Strengthens Family Bonds

Gratitude enhances familial bonds and improves perceptions of one another. It encourages appreciation between parents, fostering a supportive environment for children to learn love and gratitude. Simple daily acknowledgments and rituals like a Family Gratitude Jar can significantly strengthen relationships. Ultimately, expressing thanks nurtures a sense of value and connection in families.

Continue Reading November 5, 2025 at 7:01 pm Leave a comment

Thanksgiving: A Season for Connection and Gratitude

This Thanksgiving, let’s honor parents for their unwavering love and resilience. Amidst holiday pressures, focus on genuine connections and embrace imperfections. Treasure shared laughter and moments that forge family bonds. As a parent coach, remember to express gratitude for both what you receive and what you give. Celebrate your family as they are.

Continue Reading November 26, 2024 at 3:59 pm Leave a comment

Thankful for Thanksgiving & It’s Memories

During one of my Thanksgiving blogs a few years ago, I must’ve written too much about positive family experiences. My daughter commented that not everybody had positive experiences at Thanksgiving, and I needed to be mindful of that. 😩

Since I write about how to build and maintain family lives and great relationships, I just chalked up her comments as “her feelings” and moved on. This year we’ve had new members join our family, new babies being born, and I thought about the people in my life who are no longer there; my mom, my dad, and various other favorite people that I miss dearly.

So I walked down memory lane, and thought about past Thanksgivings from my childhood, including some of the more traumatic experiences that my family has lived through. I thought of my father‘s alcoholic binges on Thanksgiving. I didn’t understand it as a kid, but I now realize, how unhappy he must’ve been. I thought about my brother who every Thanksgiving was in ER, under suicide watch. How unhappy he was, and how afraid we were for him.

The people around us really shape life as we know it. What we must decide on is whether we are going to live as victims, remembering those experiences forever, by staying stuck. Or are we going to remember them, our family members, and move forward in spite of the traumas. As my maternal grandmother used to say, “be somebody”.

Please take some time this Thanksgiving holiday to be available to talk to family or friends who may be having a hard time with the holiday seasons. They could be experiencing a season of loss or doubt, and a call or text message from you may be just what they need to stay encouraged.

As for me, I choose to write about how to have healthy relationships with family members, and why it’s important. ❤️‍🩹

Wishing you and yours, a very Happy Thanksgiving 🍁🦃🍽

Want to learn more about how to get along with your family members? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting workshops for Mothers and Daughters, Mothers and Sons, Fathers and Daughters or Fathers and Sons.

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