For children, Thanksgiving is more about Bluey blimps and waiting all day to be served wobbly cranberry sauce on the rickety card table you’re sharing with your rowdy cousins than it is about working for hours in the kitchen while your mother-in-law continuously criticizes your stuffing-making abilities. However, as the holiday draws near, parents have a lot to think about, from keeping the family healthy as the flu and cold seasons intensify to accepting that your finicky eater won’t touch the Ina Garten-worthy meal you’ve prepared and providing a meaningful explanation of the day’s significance. Here’s how to handle the possible parenting difficulties that may arise.

Managing finicky eaters

Even after devouring turkey and all of its fixings, some children may still have space for pumpkin and pecan pie. Some others will only consume dinner rolls and a marshmallow that was taken from Aunt Sharon’s well-known sweet potato casserole.

According to registered dietitian Diana Rice of Tiny Seed Nutrition and Anti Diet Kids, “holidays are not typical days by definition and we have to remember that our kids are probably out of their element — they’re excited to play with cousins, overwhelmed by the number of strangers in the mix, anxious about traveling, etc.” “Add a buffet of unfamiliar foods and it’s very, very likely that kids will focus on whichever familiar food will address their hunger and not exacerbate their anxiety.”

Parents can prepare ahead of time by ensuring that a familiar cuisine will be available, even if that means bringing chicken nuggets. This is especially important for parents of children who have a tendency to be particularly picky or nervous about what they eat.

“I think it really helps children feel that their parents are looking out for their unique needs by bringing a dish to share that they know their own kid particularly likes, or even packing a sandwich so that their child can just eat and get back to enjoying the event,” Rice told Yahoo Life.

Before choosing a pie, parents shouldn’t worry about how much their child ate of carrots or green bean casserole.

“Children’s overall nutrition is important, but what they do or don’t eat on holidays is a drop in the bucket compared to how memories of being teased for their food preferences at family gatherings, or made to clear their plate in order to get dessert, will impact them into adulthood,” Rice states.

Last food-related worry: Family members who say things that can be seen as supporting toxic diet culture, like Grandma wondering out loud how those mashed potatoes will affect her weight or an uncle making fun of your child for eating too much. Be ready to stand up for your child if you feel uncomfortable hearing that kind of body-shaming speech in front of them. In order to limit the children’s exposure to negative self-talk and help them value their own bodies, registered dietitian Jennifer Anderson of Kids Eat in Color has advised phoning ahead to gently but firmly request that any diet-related conversations be avoided around the children.

And what would Virginia Sole-Smith, author of Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture, say about remarks that body shame a child? She advises trying to convey this to the critical relative: “We’re not concerned. Their body is not an issue in our eyes. We have faith in their bodies. We’ll let them work things out on their own.

Keeping insects away

Keeping your family healthy throughout the holidays may be achieved by emphasizing healthy sleep habits, eating a balanced diet, and staying up to date on vaccinations, whether you’re entertaining at home or traveling.

What are some more effective ways to prevent illness?

Instead of infecting others, stay at home and recuperate if you’re ill.

Hand washing is especially important before, during, and after Thanksgiving dinner preparation and consumption.

Put on a mask

Before gathering or traveling, get a COVID test, and when you travel during this time, bring the test with you.

Look for methods to increase airflow, such opening a window or, if the weather permits, entertaining outside.

To the children’s table or not?
Under-18s are frequently confined to their own dining area during big family get-togethers, but this may be changing. Some parents are talking about why they would rather everyone sit together as a sign of “respect” and affection, as Yahoo Life previously reported. “It’s absurd to have kids separated from the rest of the family during a family holiday,” one mother said.

What are the opinions of experts? In essence, there isn’t a right or incorrect response. According to Mo Mulla of Parental Questions, “as a parenting expert, I advise parents to talk about which option is best for their family and choose what will make everyone feel most comfortable.” Families may also think about seating adults and children at a single large table alternately, or designating a chaperone to keep an eye on the chaos caused by the children.

Discussing Thanksgiving’s history with children
You may remember wearing construction-paper feathers or a Pilgrim hat as part of a “friendly Thanksgiving feast” at school when you were a kid. Experts say it’s “harmful” to ignore the true history and the mistreatment of Indigenous people, even if many children today are still taught some form of that sanitized tale.

Debbie Lee Keenan, an author, speaker, early childhood consultant, and leader in anti-bias education, told Yahoo Life in 2021 that it’s critical to provide kids accurate historical information. The traditional Thanksgiving narrative is given from the perspective of white colonists. We are promoting negative preconceptions and false information about Indigenous people, in this case the Wampanoags, when we fail to present the truth.

Giving children factual but age-appropriate knowledge about the history of Thanksgiving and the interactions between the Wampanoags and settlers is something she and other experts advise. Jameson R. Sweet, Rutgers University’s first Native American professor in the Department of American Studies, says young children “need to know that the Native people [the English settlers] encountered were members of sovereign nations that long predate the existence of the United States and are still here, but they don’t necessarily need to know the gory details.” He claims that to state contrary is erasure. When parents “only invoke the ‘good’ parts of history and ignore the bad, they contribute to this harmful mythology and participate in the dehumanization of Native Americans,” Sweet states.