Happy Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving holiday started out with a slow start. The preschooler and I were meeting 'daddy' in the city and going to his work before heading up to Door County for the long weekend. I worked a 1/2 day and then the babysitter was going to drive us to the train station to ride the train to downtown Chicago. This was to be the preschooler's first train ride and we were getting excited!

The problem: the babysitter dropped us off at noon for the 12:20PM train. When we went into the train station (the babysitter had already left), the ticket-lady told us that the 12:20PM train was cancelled because of a previous accident. The next train was to be running at 2:20PM. WHAT!!!? 2:20PM....2 more hours?

To be stranded at the train station (in not the best of neighborhoods) with a 3.5 year old with nothing to do....is rather interesting to say the least!

We walked across the street to the bagel shop and got some lunch and then headed back to the train station and I was racking my brain as to what we were going to do for the next 2 hours. I didn't pack any activities because I thought that we would wait for ~15 minutes for the train and then the train ride itself would be fun and we would not have to be entertained.

Luckily, I found in the bottom of one of our bags a "Brain Quest" trivia card set for 5-7 year olds......but, it was just what we needed in an emergency situation and passed the time nicely.

Once one the train...it was another experience. We met a ~40 year old mom with ~5 year old son. They were travelling downtown to go to the courthouse (from what I could gather from her rather loud conversation) to get some papers for child support or something of the sort. Supposedly the boy took the papers out of the mom's purse and the mom was rather upset and started yelling at the son, "You stupid kid, you are so stupid. You know I needed those papers, why would you be so stupid to take them out of my purse?" The boy proceeded to cry.

My daughter then started using the word 'stupid' and I had to correct her rather quickly, "We don't use that word, it's not a nice word". "but mommy, that lady said that word to that boy", "yes, she did, that wasn't a good choice, was it?".

On this Thanksgiving may I remind you to watch what you say in the presence of others? Be thankful for the right to freedom of speech, but at the same time be thankful for a vocabulary that includes more than just 'negative' words. Be thankful for the kind words others say to you, be thankful that you are able to say kind words to others. Be thankful for where you are -- at home, with family or friends or both or alone. Be thankful to be alive and be thankful for the opportunities you were given as a child....that have you made you into the adult you are today.

Happy Thanksgiving to family and friends -- near and far.