It’s crazy how fast we go from summer into the holiday season. From pumpkin everything to spooky season, early fall can be a blur of school, sports and festivities followed by disbelieving chants (at least for me, anyway) of “It’s almost November already?”
November is one of the most multifaceted months of the year that can still yet be summed up in one theme—gratitude. We open the month with civic and military observances in Election Day and Veterans Day. Election Day is always a reminder for many of us of those who endured ridicule and abuse to afford many that right and Veterans Day is an opportunity to thank those who have served in our armed forces.
We follow this with Thanksgiving, which reminds us to enjoy our families, count our blessings and remember our wins from throughout the year. It’s a great time to bond over cooking, eating and of course, football. These little traditions create lifelong memories for children.
If you’re a shopper, the open season starts Thanksgiving night with an unofficial Black Friday kickoff (Yes, we’ve become that impatient as a society!) followed by a weekend of crowded stores leading into Cyber Monday.
No, there aren’t many months like November, but it’s one of the best. Finding ways to be grateful will keep you sane as we come in for a landing on 2022 next month.
For some people, like my fellow writers, that sanity project is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), an event where you write—you guessed it—a novel in 30 days to the cadence of 1,667 words per day to reach 50,000 by November 30.
For others, it’s keeping a daily gratitude journal, or sharing on social media platforms something or someone you’re grateful for. I like that practice, though I’ve scarcely participated.
And for the rest, it’s charity season. It’s a time to take care of those less fortunate by providing meals, supporting organizations and nonprofits through service, and donating goods.
All of these are great examples to expose to your children. Kids have the desire to do good and it’s up to us to present as many of those opportunities as possible.
In the Disney film, “Remember the Titans” there’s a scene in the locker room where if you look at the mirror, there’s a message that’s inscribed: “Reflection is the better part of a champion.”
I wish you a fun and festive November filled with thoughts of gratitude and personal reflection. As parents, we are champions to our children. Stay grateful.
