Does Thanksgiving have special meaning in the lives of children?
MFB: Diversity in family composition plays a part. Thanksgiving Day has often been depicted as a traditional nuclear family having a turkey dinner—a mother, father, boy, girl and family pet. For some children this is a reasonable image and reinforces their expectation that Thanksgiving will be a day celebrating traditions of family and country. This expectation becomes a reality for many children. However for some children who have less control over the circumstances of their family and of their emotional lives, the expectation to be “happy” on Thanksgiving Day might be difficult to attain. Far fewer American children today live in the traditional two-parent household, the kind that is featured in the popular culture and in our imaginations as the ideal model. And even some children who live with their parents may experience stress due to tensions between family members compelled to spend time together. On Thanksgiving, children may be unwitting witnesses to anger and aggression betwee
