Celebrate Thanksgiving?

Right before Thanksgiving my daughter asked me why were we going to celebrate a holiday that's not Jewish. I asked her if she had anything to be thankful for and she answered yes and so began our lengthy discussion.
Thanksgiving is now a topic included in the curriculum in most Jewish day schools. It is a secular, American holiday with mostly secular origins. This gives Jewish students the opportunity to learn about the Indians and the Pilgrims and the Mayflower.
Our family has always enjoyed the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving with family and visiting with old friends that return to the area to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with their own families.

We have recently come across some neat traditions that other family members and friends practice to make Thanksgiving more Jewish and significant to them:

• Some cook the turkey on Friday and celebrate Friday night with a nice Shabbat turkey dinner rather than having all the leftovers on Shabbat which can make Shabbat feel not as special or important.
• You could also use Thanksgiving to teach your children more about doing good deeds like volunteering at a community Thanksgiving dinner for the needy or giving charity to an organization to fight hunger.
• Treat Thanksgiving as a true Seudah, festive meal, and be certain to make blessings and say grace after meals. You can even add some words of Torah to the festivities.
• Invite people outside your usual social circle to the meal. If they are new to this country, they may have a lot to share about the innumerable blessings of this country that we often take for granted.

Hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving with a side of pumpkin pie (my personal favorite)!

I came across an article called The discipline tool kit: Successful strategies for every age by Melanie Haiken.
What does this have to do with youth education? Every child should be given the guidelines of how to behave in different scenarios. As parents, we need to set these ground rules up front so our kids know what to expect. With this guidance they can then grow up to be respectful, caring, individuals.

First, the ground rules

To set the stage for discipline success, here are the bottom-line rules many experts agree on:

1. We're all in this together. Right from the start, teach your kids that your family is a mutual support system, meaning that everyone pitches in. Even a baby can learn to "help" you lift her by reaching out her arms, says Madelyn Swift, founder and director of Childright and author of Discipline for Life, Getting It Right With Children.

2. Respect is mutual. One of the most common complaints parents and kids have about each other is "You're not listening." Set a good example early on: When your child tries to tell you something, stop what you're doing, focus your attention, and listen. Later you can require the same courtesy from her.

3. Consistency is king. One good way to raise a child with emotional strength? Be consistent and unwavering about rules and chores, says Harvard professor Dan Kindlon, author of Too Much of a Good Thing. Even if you pick just one chore to insist on, your child will be better off, Kindlon says. "Being firm and consistent teaches your child that you care enough about him to expect responsible behavior."

4. Life's not always fair. We're so afraid of disappointing or upsetting our kids — too afraid, say some discipline pros. "If a child never experiences the pain of frustration — of having to share a toy or wait their turn in line — or if they're never sad or disappointed, they won't develop psychological skills that are crucial for their future happiness," says Kindlon. So if your child's upset because a younger sibling got a different punishment, for example, it's okay to say "I understand that this seems unfair to you, and I'm sorry you're upset, but life isn't always fair."

For the rest of this interesting article:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-discipline-tool-kit-successful-strategies-for-every-age_1475318.bc