Parenting Tricks & Treats

Once every year, American friends and family gather together to give thanks and celebrate Thanksgiving. We eat delicious foods like turkey, and biscuits, and pie, and everyone is usually feeling happy and grateful and loving. 

The American people celebrated the fall harvest for another 200 years until President Abraham Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving Day in 1863. Now we celebrate Thanksgiving every year on the fourth Thursday in November. 

On Sunday, November 5, you should wake feeling slightly better rested than usual, as you’ll have gained an hour of sleep due to daylight savings time. Messing with our bedside clocks (not to mention our internal clocks) may seem strange, but there is a good reason. 

Why do we change our clocks an hour back? 

To understand why we move our clocks forward and back in the spring and fall, we need to understand why we have seasons in the first place. You see, the Earth does not stand perfectly straight as it rotates around the Sun. Rather, it rotates at a tilt. This means that the part of our planet that’s tilted toward the Sun has warmer, lighter days for half of the year and colder, then darker days for the other half, as the Earth makes its full, year-long rotation. Most of us live for those warm summer days when our part of the world is tilted toward the Sun. Those days – and Benjamin Franklin – are the reason for daylight savings time. Franklin was the first to publicly observe that most of the world was sleeping through those glorious, bright, warm, early morning summer hours, essentially wasting them. A British builder named William Willet was the next to push for a shift in time, to push the bright sunny summer hours from morning to evening, when people could enjoy them rather than sleep through them. Willet proposed shifting the time gradually, say 20 minutes a Sunday for four consecutive weeks. His plan was adopted first by Germany, then by Britain, who called the program Sun Time. Other countries followed suit, including the U.S., in 1918. 

Tips & Tricks for getting and keeping your kids in bed 

And yes, daylight savings time gives us nice, long summer hours. And yes, research indicates that it also saves energy (more time playing at the park in the evening means fewer lights on and dishwashers running) and decreases evening traffic accidents. But daylight savings time can be brutal for those of us with kids. Have you ever tried to put your kids down for the night while the Sun was still shining bright? Or to wake them up an hour early in the morning? Good luck! But there is hope. Willet had the right idea in terms of gradually introducing this change. Beginning about a week before the time changes this fall, start pushing bedtime by about 15 minutes each day (your kids are going to love this!). Then, try to keep them in bed an hour later on Saturday and until the equivalent of their regular wake-up time on Sunday. The goal is that they’ll be just tired enough by Sunday night to go to bed at their regular but now adjusted time. As always, avoid electronics, sugar, and crazy, active play in the hour before they climb into bed. Ah, daylight savings time. We relish that extra hour of sleep in the fall and loathe the loss of an hour in the spring, but, to quote Danny Zuko, “Oh, those summer nights! 

Thanksgiving dinner is such a special time. You’re surrounded by friends and family and about to enjoy a delicious feast at a beautifully set, festive table. With your kids. But not to worry! We’ve compiled a list of age-appropriate table manners to help you set your expectations just in time for the holidays.

Before you lay down the law, make sure your child understands why it’s important to use good manners at the table – mainly that eating together as a family is important to you and that it’s more fun for everyone when the whole family follows certain rules. Then practice, practice, practice! Don’t wait until the big day. Be consistent with your table rules and practice at home and in restaurants for several weeks before turkey day, praising your kids for using good manners and gently correcting forgotten rules.

Speaking of expectations, depending on your child’s age, you may need to lower yours, but most children, even preschoolers, can master the manners below:

1. Sitting Still – Okay, maybe just sitting would be a more realistic goal. But your young child does need to remain in his seat during his meal. Expecting him to make it through a four-course meal without moving is somewhat unrealistic. Still, he should remain seated – not under the table, standing up, or running around – while eating his dinner and then be excused to play quietly while the adults finish their food.
2. Inside Voice – Special occasions and unfamiliar faces can get preschoolers excited, and excitement can lead to, yes, yelling. Remind your little one that mealtime is a quiet time, where we talk in quiet, inside voices. Be sure to engage your child during the meal or task an older sibling with chatting her up – little ones can get loud when they’re feeling ignored.
3. Hands Off – Make sure your kids understand that their food will be served to them on a plate, and the plate (or their mouths) is where it should stay. Rather than reaching or grabbing for what they want, help them learn to ask politely for more of something. And, conversely, food that’s on their plates should stay there (versus being put back in a serving dish or thrown across the room).
4. Please and Thank You – Preschoolers love to please! Odds are, they’re already great at saying please and thank you, and mealtime is just another place to practice these good manners. Model saying thank you when you’re served and using please when asking for seconds or refills and give kudos to your kids when they do the same.

Older kids who have mastered the four rules above are capable of learning more advanced table etiquette (and modeling it nicely for your little ones), including:

• Waiting until everyone has been served to take a first bite of food.
• Placing their napkins in their laps. And using them. Save those sleeves!
• Keeping negative feedback about the food to themselves. If you don’t have something nice to say…
• Sitting up straight. And maybe even participating in the group conversation!
• Asking to be excused when there’s a break in the conversation.

 By setting realistic, age-appropriate expectations, being clear about them with your kids, and practicing, practicing, holiday meals will be more enjoyable for everyone. Happy Thanksgiving!

Need some suggestions for a cavity-free, allergy-free, calorie-free holiday? Get your creative juices flowing with these treat alternatives that are great for trick-or-treaters, classroom parties, special friends, and more!

Keep an eye out

Think outside of the candy aisle and browse all around the stores you visit. Any small, affordable toy, like yo-yos, bouncy balls, and bubbles, will put a smile on kids' faces.

Let the fun continue.

Small costume elements like fake mustaches, vampire teeth, tattoos, and spider rings let kids continue dressing up, and celebrating long after Halloween is just a memory.

Cook up a witch's brew

Offer up your non-food treats with a little dramatic flair! Fill a plastic witch's cauldron with cute and creepy bug toys for trick-or-treaters. For extra eeriness, drop a couple of glow sticks at the bottom of your cauldron and stir it with a skeleton hand. Or make a party game of it by having kids use grabbers to pick up a "nasty" centipede or spider without touching it.

Practical Magic

When the spooktacular night is over, life goes back to normal. But useful items like Halloween-themed pencils, erasers, bookmakers, and other school supplies allow the experience to linger a little longer.

Add lights and sound

Add spooky chills to your party with Buzzers that make all sorts of silly sounds or recordable howls and screeches. Also, consider giving out kazoos, clackers, and glow-in-the-dark bracelets so kids can be seen and heard in the dark!

Put out a teal pumpkin

Let trick-or-treaters and their parents know that you have treat alternatives that are safe for kids with food allergies by placing teal-painted pumpkins on your porch or by your front door. Learn more here. Our assortment of counters are an excellent alternative for candy, as well! 

Don't be surprised if your house becomes one of the most popular destinations every year!

Giving back almost seems natural to us adults. Creating donation piles or offering money to those who face hard times is like second nature. But much like everything else we do so well in our lives, it was taught to us. Now it is time to teach to give to our little ones! When our children watch us do good, it resonates. Leading by example starts right away. No matter the age, children can have a powerful impact on their communities, but it's up to us, parents and caregivers, to get them engaged and pointed in the right direction. When a child gives their time, talent, and treasures to charitable causes, valuable life skills are sure to follow. Learning how to work with others, take directions, and fine-tune organizational skills are just a few ways volunteering shapes a child’s philanthropic self. Developing empathy and compassion for those with unique struggles opens a new point of view for many children. 

Giving Tuesday is always on the Tuesday after the American Thanksgiving holiday. Held this year on November 27, Giving Tuesday began in 2012 as a movement in response to the amplified consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Think of it as the day to respond to all the buying and spending with volunteering and charity. So what ways can our little ones get involved? Below are a few ideas to get them thinking about what they can do on Giving Tuesday and beyond. 

Get the discussion going about hosting a drive. Drives are the easiest way to collect non-perishable food, coats, shoes, or even pet supplies, for those who need it most during the holidays and cold months. A simple phone call to a food bank or shelter will let you and your child know what its current needs are (i.e., “we have plenty of coats, but we need pajamas”), and your family and friends can begin collecting. 

Your child likely has a piggy bank, or maybe the family has a change jar set aside. With your children’s help, set up a charitable jar where your children can throw in change throughout the year. As a child receives money, like gifts or allowances, encourage them to make deposits. Decide as a family the best place donate all that adds up.  

Soup kitchens, nursing homes, and hospitals are always welcoming places for helping hands. The holiday season is bursting with opportunities left and right. Involving children in deciding where to volunteer is a great motivator. 

Maybe make your Giving Tuesday even sweeter by hosting a bake sale. Help the children bake delicious treats and ask their friends to join in on the fun. Again, deciding where all the money should go makes kids feel like they are making a difference.

Animal shelters need towels, blankets, and food, too. Besides toys and clothes, children in need often need books. Perhaps the local public garden’s caretakers need new tools. As the parent, keep your ear to the ground on local needs and work with your child on making some of these wishes a reality.  

Remember, a little by little, and a little becomes a lot!