Heard in the car yesterday:
Me: "Cora, do you know what next week is?"
Cora: "No."
Me: "It's Thanksgiving."
Cora: "Okay."
Me: "What do we eat on Thanksgiving?"
Cora: "Um... Mac N Cheese!"
Me: "Yes, Daddy will make mac 'n cheese. We also have turkey, and stuffing, and mashed potatoes, and green beans..."
Cora: "Oh, that's yummy!"
Me: "That's right! And do you know who will be there for Thanksgiving?"
Cora: "Cora!"
Me: "Yes, Cora will be at Thanksgiving. So will Mommy and Daddy. Uncle Steven will be there, and [our two friends]. Grandpa and both Grandmas, and Grandma's little doggies, and Bernie."
Cora: "Hurray!"
Me: "And do you know the purpose of Thanksgiving?"
Cora: "No."
Me: "It's to have a nice dinner with our friends and family and be thankful for all the good things we have."
Cora: "We have to say 'Thank you!'"
Me: "Yep. And do you know why we celebrate Thanksgiving?"
Cora: "No, I don't know."
Me: "It's because a long time ago, some native Americans made the mistake of being nice to some white European trespassers instead of letting them starve to death in the woods. They brought them food and they had a big meal."
Cora: "Awww."
Me: "And the Europeans thanked them by giving them small pox and stealing their land. So, what's the lesson here, Cora?"
Cora: "Don't get small pox."
Me: "Exactly. Happy Thanksgiving."
4 comments:
I love it. LOVE it.
Yesterday, I asked P the name of the ship on my necklace (I only wear it in November; it's too obnoxious otherwise). She said, "Maybird." And refused to believe it was a flower. "No, Mama, she's called Maybird."
So there you have it. Revisionism in action.
Hmm. What is the lesson? Don't help people who are starving to death?
K has been learning about Native Americans in school. Today they are making canoes out of cucumbers.
Eh, maybe just more of a disclaimer that no good deed goes unpunished. At the very least, to take precautions against infectious disease should any never-before-seen race of humans manage to show up on the shore ever again.
Do the cucumber canoes float well? Now I want to try it!
Somehow, Maybird makes more sense!
I'll be sure to keep this exchange in mind when teaching my little one about Thanksgiving!
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