Thanksgiving is one week from tomorrow. Teens are getting excited about being out of school for a few days - some teens are out the entire week; some teens are out two days for a four-day weekend. Either way, your teen is anticipating the pleasure of being out of class!
Do you think your teen is excited about having Thanksgiving dinner with the family? Perhaps. Probably the atmosphere of prior family dinners is impacting your teen. Reading Sherri's blog helped me have the image of a pleasant calm family interaction. Does that happen at your house over the holidays?
Would you like to have your teen anticipate more than just missing a few days of school? Or catching the latest Harry Potter movie? Would you like for your teen to have enthusiasm about spending time with the family? Is that thought for you almost as much a fantasy as the Harry Potter movie?!
I believe that you can work with your teen to develop some things he or she will look forward to at Thanksgiving. Talk about some activities she might like - a game that the family has played before, a special holiday movie that you have in your DVD archives, preparing a favorite food together. Ask your teens for ideas - you might be pleasantly surprised by the ideas he generates!
Who knows, you might have anticipation about one of the ideas you and your teen decide to pursue! And anticipation is one of the exciting elements of this time of year.
Dr. Debra
Dr. Debra, I'm glad yo picked up on this. I hope families have a truly calm and relaxed but happy holiday. Sherri
Posted by: Sharon Cook, LCSW, LMFT | 11/18/2010 at 09:04 AM