Thanksgiving is tomorrow so we've spent a lot of time discussing what the holiday entails. About being thankful and spending time with family and the traditional foods we eat. Like turkey.
We've been enjoying fall and collecting leaves and making handprint turkeys. We've more than fulfilled the fall requirements.
This week I even took the boys to one of those "Harvest Festival" type farm centers where they have corn mazes, hay rides and ex-gumball machines filled with little pellets to feed animals.
We wander around pointing out all the animals. Look, a cow! Look, a horse! And so on.
Finally, we get to:
I'm extra excited about the turkey because we've been talking about them lately.
But as it comes out of my mouth I remember that the reason we've been talking about them lately is not because turkeys are fascinating. We've been talking about them lately in the context of eating them. On Thanksgiving.
And I'm not sure how this will play out.
He verifies that it is a bona fide "Thanksgiving" turkey. And I mutter affirmatively.
Now I'm all for knowing where your food comes from. I think this is important and I am not afraid of them understanding this.
I am not even afraid of them choosing to not eat certain things, becoming vegetarians or vegans. All of that is just fine.
What I am afraid of is a complete meltdown right here and right now about this particular turkey.
They start talking to it. Saying hi and stuff. Just small talk.
I don't want their conversation to get personal. I know where this could lead. I start to suggest we move on to see the other animals.
But then, he simply says:
Happy Thanksgiving!
(Enjoy the turkey.*)
———————
*At least, for those of you who celebrate. To the rest of you, Happy Thursday! And to the vegans/vegetarians that I just offended, Enjoy Your Squash! Unless you are a vegan/vegetarian who doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, in which case, Happy Thursday again! Unless you are a vegan/vegetarian who doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving but just happens to be eating squash, then Enjoy Your Squash! In other words, have a nice day. And possibly squash.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I always love a blog post with footnotes. Happy Thanksgiving!
I took my daughter to a similar farm type place. When we got to the cows, she exclaims “Mommy! Cows! Cows are yummy!” At least she has come to terms with being a carnivore!
thanks you too! *I love your disclaimers!!
Happy Thanksgiving! You’re boys have big personality and major cuteness!!! Love your blog!
Just wait until the make the piglet = bacon connection… when maximum cuteness and maximum deliciousness collide!
There were week-old piglets for snuggling at the Farmer’s market last week, and I was SO glad I didn’t have to explain. Yet.
Laughing, laughing! Love it.
Or Tofurkey…don’t forget the Tofurkey! (I’d love to see a drawing of your kids saying “Can’t wait to eat you!” to a block of tofu laying on a plate! LOL)
Awesome. Have a fantastic Turkey Day!
Haha, love it! My little boy is 2 and was running round the house the other day with his pig toys saying “Ohh, sausages, yummy!”
Kids, eh!?
As a vegan/vegetarian who is utterly not offended, Happy Thanksgiving!
*enjoys Tofurkey with vegan gravy* ๐
I love that you have an “echo” (aka Crappy Baby) just like in our house! “Eat you!”
Hahaha. In our house, a turkey spotting is always narrated by our son repeatedly saying “oops!” Thank you, Sandra Boynton (Blue Hat, Green Hat).
Scarily pragmatic, your son! ๐
Love it! My six year old daughter read along with me and is also amused. Of course, she just read the cartoons – your post is entertainment for all ages!
Hilarious! My son drew a picture at school last week of a turkey grinning from ear to ear and the turkey is saying “Eat more ham!”
Happy Thanksgiving! (but Happy Thursday for me, as I’m in Australia)
There is a chicken processing plant in our town and we often pass the trucks loaded down with live chickens on the way to my girls’ school and see the empty trucks on the way home. The girls (ages 4 & 2) will see the chickens on the way to school and say things like “hi chickens, bock bock” and “chickens–YUM”. Kids are interesting little creatures
I loved, “Can’t wait to eat you!”
My 5 year has declared her love of pigs. Not as a cute pink animal, but as the source of her favorite food, pork.
my girls always called beef “moo-cow” and chicken nuggets were “bock-bock” – no issues here!
When my son was 4, we were having dinner. A chicken dish of some sort. He stabbed a piece of meat with his fork, gave a big smile, and said, “I’m eating a dead chicken!”, then happily popped it in his mouth. Yup. Total carnivore.
Funny, I always refer to ‘salmon’ and ’tilapia’ when we eat – not ‘fish’ – because my little guy loves the ones at the pet store ๐
Bahahaha!!! When my son was 2, he would see things like lobsters, crab, a deer in my parent’s yard, etc. … I would ask him “what do we do with XXX?” Hix response? “EAT IT! Chomp chomp!”
Gotta love it!
Love this even more because I had a similar conversation with my son (4) after reading him the book “Albuquerque Turkey”. I thought he’d turn vegetarian (which is fine but he doesn’t like enough veggies yet).
After much discussion we realized he thought we’d bring him a complete bird with feathers to eat. Not the cooked one we have. He kept asking “Where’s the little white turkey?”
I love you so much. As a mom/grammy I love reliving these moments with you. I love that your drawings tho simple are so expressive and I love that your littlest only wears a diaper. You bring a bright spot into the humming and drumming of our daily lives.
As an omnivore that enjoys squash I am OFFENDED by your post. Very, very offended.
This summer, my boy almost 3. His dad andi, we went fishing (not a lot of fish that day, just one small one). So we thought we ll bring the fish back and show our son. So we bring the fish in a bowl. First thing out of his mouth: “When are we eating it???” To which I explain that we wont eat it, but we ll let it back in the river this time round. So we re walking down the hill back to the river with the fish in the bowl and I ask my son how he wants to name the fish. His reply: “FISH FINGERS!” I laughed so hard!!!! He just wanted to eat it ๐
I love that crappy baby is only in his diaper! And the echo is hilarious. I love your family, and your posts!
YES! My 5 year old is a confirmed carnivore. She asked when she was about three where the steak she was eating came from and I said, it’s a cow. I said, some people aren’t comfortable eating animals and they eat lots of veggies and salad and beans and fruit. She replied, ‘oh, i’m komfterble’.
This summer while in the middle of chewing on a chicken leg, she wanted to discuss how they remove the head from the chicken.
Yeah. I call her my apocalypse kid–as in, if there’s an apocalypse, she’ll be the one I’m sticking by ’cause she’s not going to hesitate to do whatever it takes.
Perfect! Happy Thanksgiving!
My 7 year old has this hideous decorative stuffed turkey he found at a yard sale about 5 years ago. He loves it and once he made the connection between the real animal and his stuffed animal and turkeys as food, he refuses to eat any turkey at all. Last year for Thanksgiving he had the traditional sides and a PB&J.
You make me laugh so much! And so many times! Bless you!
“Can’t wait to eat you!”
Love it.
Thanks again for sharing …
Happy American Thanksgiving to you, too!
(and Happy Thursday to us Canucks LOL!)
Oh turkey, you look so delicious!
What a surprise. I love your stories.
Happy Thanksgiving.
haha i was going to post the same – having all the YUMMY sides. i have more room for them and skipping the turkey! (and it’s subs)
the disclaimer made me laugh so hard i had to send it to my carnivore sister ๐
I didn’t think I was capable of laughing out loud today. Thanks.
*Immediately after typing this my baby spit up on herself, my shirt, my pants, and my bed. I need another post from you a.s.a.p. ๐
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!
The disclaimer footnote had me ROTFL, excellent.
Personally, I believe that it’s best not to pussy-foot around the issue of where our food comes from right from the get-go. It’s the notion that younger children are “too fragile” or whatever to grasp the idea that “eating meat = killing animals and that’s natural and just how the food chain works”, and hiding that information from them when very young, that leads to problems and squeamishness and all that when you do try to explain it when they’re older.
Kids understand that some animals eat other animals, so it’s really not all that difficult to grasp that we do too. If it’s treated as “normal” and “not a big deal” from the beginning… then it’s not a big deal. It’s our own squeamishness as adults (who are often far removed from food production ourselves) that’s to blame here!
(That’s of course if you WANT it to not be a big deal! This is obviously advice for the omnivorous families )
Yep, although we call him our parrot.
I think I want to live there! Lobsters & crab! lol
I knew there would be somebody. ๐
Why isn’t there a like button? ๐
I LOVE this! Gobble gobble.
You pictures are getting less and less crappy LOL That turkey is very life like :0) (jk) I can almost taste it!
These drawings are supposedly “crappy,” but that is one impressive-looking turkey!
Awesome! My five year old stepson and I just had the gun safety chat. “No pointing it at anything unless you’re going to eat it, and you’re not allowed to eat your little brother”. He ‘shot’ a worm, and brought it into the house for me to cook. Wonderful.
Out of the mouths…! Happy Thanksgiving!
omgoodness that reminded me of the county fair … we we walking along trying to find the bbq corn and came upon a pig roasting over a fire.
my super smart 3 year old caught it … even from the confines of her covered wagon that was scattered with felt frenz
“ooh pig mommy”
and then she crawled out from under her covered area where she took in the site in its entirety … the pig with a metal rod that went through the head and out the rear … blood … being turned over flames …
my super smart 3 year old turned into my super sensitive big hearted bundle of emotion. big crocodile tears ran down her face as she was mesmorized by the sight.
i think i would have handled a meltdown better that day ๐
a song we sing each thanksgiving:
“gobble, gobble, gobble, fat turkey, fat turkey,
gobble, gobble, gobble fat turkeys are we.
we’re not here for living,
we’re here for thanksgiving…
so, gobble, gobble, gobble, fat turkeys are we.”
My nephew loves that book!
I’m vegan and this was hilarious!
We are veggies but my son, now four, loves cooking programmes and found out the origins of meat by watching someone cook a duck. “Like the ducks in the park ?” he asked and I agreed. Later he told his dad “Jamie Oliver cooked a pie and there was a duck and a pig and a dog and a cat in it !!” lol He still doesn’t really get why carnivores eat some animals and not others. Worse still at a playgroup he told another kid “And Jamie Oliver rips its beak off and all its feathers off and chops it up and cooks it in a pie !!” However he isn’t keen to try meat himself. When offered he tends to whisper to the person “No ! it’s a dead animal !” :0)
Hilarious, as always! Your footnote was a downright comedic masterpiece! When is your book coming out again? …a girl can dream.
Ha! Reminds me of Sgt. Frog (Japanese comic/cartoon) and his obsession with “cow flesh”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d_O3wTCvdA
Another Sgt. Frog viewer? My daughter is obsessed with that show.
I remember one year taking my nephew to a park where peacocks run rampant. Someone made the comment that they looked like pretty turkeys. From then till Thanksgiving he took a few trips to that park where he happily harassed what he adamantly referred to as “pretty turkeys”. When TG rolled around he stated that didn’t want to eat any of his new friends. At that point he couldn’t be convinced that peacocks were not turkeys. His request was respected and a tofurky substitute was made in his honor. Although we still made a turkey for the rest of us. After one bite of the imitation he proceeded to push his serving onto my plate. His disappointed comment was that it “didn’t taste at all like turkey!” After staring at the real turkey for awhile he asked where it came from. Someone said “Vons” and a look of relief swept over him. He now wanted turkey. I asked him “What about your friends?”. He then stated confidently that none of his friends went to Vons. Several months later while chasing his friends at the park he made sure to tell them “I didn’t eat you!”
“Pedro”
“That Pedro??”
One of my favorite lines from the movie Giant. When the children realize the turkey on the table is Pedro.
I am thankful I didn’t have a sip of coffee in my mouth because I started laughing so hard I would have sprayed coffee all over my laptop!!!!!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to your family! And thank you for your wonderful posts ๐ We live with the petting zoo as my family raises our own cows, goats, and chickens. We have the kids that will show you the ones we are going to keep so they can have babies, the ones we are going to sell and their favorite – the ones we’re going to eat!
My son’s kindergarten class sang a Thanksgiving turkey song that went “we’re not here for living, we’re here for thanksgiving” and I couldn’t believe it at first. Not that I don’t agree and such, it just didn’t seem very P.C. for a public school. Ha ha!
Our daughter sang a song about a turkey running away on Thanksgiving. My husband asked if she thought our turkey would run away. She said “No Daddy, because it’s killed!” and then looked at me like “Isn’t Daddy stupid?”
So perfect.
That reminds me of the musical in the movie Addams Family Values! “Chop off our legs, and put em in your mouth!”
This is the best!
Happy Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to eat him either!
Hilarious as always! I’m impressed with your turkey drawing skills… not really all that crappy!
Hilarious! We worry so much about traumatizing our kids that I think we end up teaching them to be traumatized. They’re tougher and more practical than we give them credit for.
As a vegetarian who doesn’t like squash, I feel left out by your disclaimer!
i love it! My 8 year old recently told me “the more mad a crab is, the more delicious it tastes”
wait, what? Who told you that?
“I learned it at school!”
What are they teaching our children?
My 4 year old son recently buried his head in his pillow, crying in shame over the fact that not only does meat COME FROM animals, but that you actually have to kill them and cut them up to eat them. (We thought he had understood this all along.) He said, sobbing, that he only wants to LOOK at animals! I told him he never has to eat them again. (We’re almost vegetarians, anyway.)
Yesterday, returning from a little class he goes to, he told us they read a book about a turkey. He said the turkeys get medals and whichever gets the most medals will get eaten! (As though it was the best thing in the world.)
Crap! I forgot about the squash! ๐ I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
LOL! I think the disclaimer was my favorite part, today. I do have an animal story to share, though.
I was driving with the kids (then ages 14, 12, 9, and 4)and we passed a hillside where some cows were grazing. There were a couple of calves and the 9yo, a girl, says “Awww, look at the baby cows! They are so cute!” at which point the 4yo, a boy, pipes up from the very back of the van and says “Mmm! I want to eat it!” to the absolute horror of his sister. After she freaks out about her brother wanting to eat the calf he says, in a very matter-of-fact tone, “What? It’s food!” Oddly enough, I don’t think we have ever even talked to him about where meat comes from; unlike his sister, the 9yo. She freaks out about the thought of eating animals, even though we point out that she eats them all the time. She then swears she will never eat another animal product, then proceeds to get a hot dog for lunch.
“If the Oscars were like that, I’d watch!”
Oh, Kelly; been there, done that. Hang in there!
ROFLMAO!!!
Yeah– they know we get eggs and milk from animals without hurting the animal. My daughter at some point looked at me and said “how do we get the meat from a cow?” But she didn’t seem too broken up when I told her we killed the animal to get its meat.
The disclaimers made the post even more funny!! LOL Happy Thanksgiving! ๐
Haha my son loves that book!
Just joyful! Happy Thanksgiving!
Me, too!
I remember talking to my boys about bacon coming from pigs and one looked at me and said “Poor Piggy, Lucky Us.” Happy Thanksgiving.
Mmmmm, free-range worms.
Yep. (and now watch him cry tomorrow when the turkey is revealed…lol)
But you could have a happy Thursday!
I think I need to do a mad crab versus calm crab taste test.
This one had me laughing, especially your disclaimer at the end. Happy Thanksgiving!
that’s hilarious!
When my son sees cows he yells “Hamburgers!” I can thank my husband for that. ๐
I’m still laughing at your disclaimer! I think you covered all potential bases there. LOL. My kids love to talk to their food too. Doesn’t seem to bother them a bit.
Funniest. Footnote. Ever.
this is exactly what happened 22 years ago on Thanksgiving. I was 9. We saw turkeys. I became a vegetarian. Your rendition is hilarious – and oh so true. Enjoy your turkey. I’ll be eating squash. ๐
We had a similar yet different experience. My husband and I were chatting in the car the other day about a friend of a friend who bought 2 pigs, one they called cuddles and he followed them everywhere. The story ended with ‘Cuddles was very tasty’. I was appalled. In my opinion thats stretching the boundries and tantamount to eating a dog or a cat. My son (5) was listening to every word and with a look of disbelief on his face he asked.
‘Dad, are you talking about eating pigs….because thats what I’m thinking in my head’.
The other day he asked.
‘Mum are these really sausages…because they look a bit like meat’
Now I’m not a big meat eater myself, but my daughter wants to try EVERY kind of meat (or “steak” as she calls it) – she’s even asked if you can eat “hooman steak”! But my favorite was when she was sitting in the cart going down the pet supplies aisle. She saw some cat food with a white long-haired cat on the label and was shouting “Cute kitty! I’ve never tried kitty steak before! It looks delicious!”
My nephew once, while happily munching away on one said “Mum, are hot dogs made from dogs?” LOL
He totally didn’t care if they were, he just needed to know!
I totally feel connected to you!
I also have the same age boys and I really get a good laugh every single time I read your blog. Its like my life. To the T.
Have a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Happy Turkey Day! It’s just Wednesday here in Canada, but I might have to have some squash now.
That is TOTALLY something my daughter would say! Love it!
LOL that is hilarious! Especially the “hooman steak”!
The disclaimer is pure genius! You are so fricken’ funny I can’t handle it. Thanks for always making me laugh.
Ditto that!
Ha, yes!
OMG, Momma Crappy…you make me cry with laughter.
Oh man, I almost did pee with that one!
We’re way ahead of you. We celebrate Thanksgiving at the beginning of October.
Oh, and before my son eats meat, he likes to clarify what animal it comes from. Another favourite dinner topic is how food gets changed into poop inside his body.
Ooh. That is rough.
That is so cute! Glad your little ones don’t mind.
When we were little, my brother (~4 at the time) made friends with one of my uncle’s turkeys who just so happened to live right near my bus stop. He name it and everything. Loved it. Talked about it all the time, visited it everyday as I hopped on the bus. Of course it was our Thanksgiving turkey that year. My father thought he should know, and decided that the best time to tell him just as he was about to take his first bite on turkey day. He was devastated and refused to eat turkey for *years*. We always had to have ham on Thanksgiving as well for this very reason.
My son keeps asking if the meat we are eating is dead.
Such as: “Mom? Is this chicken dead?”
I always respond that “Yes, the chicken is dead, we really do not want to eat anything that is living.”
We’ve also been discussing getting backyard chickens. My son really wants them and recently when I was roasting a whole chicken he asked, “Mom? Can we get a real chicken? One that pecks and says BOK BOK?”
That is one splendid looking turkey you photoshop/sketched. No really, I’m impressed!
We are vegetarians that celebrate Thanksgiving! However, we also enjoy laughter and sarcasm– especially sarcasm. (I know, hard to believe, right?!!) I hope no one was offended by your new post.
Does pumpkin pie count as squash? If so, I have been eating squash for a week!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wait a second….that turkey drawing isn’t very crappy…..it’s quite good, I’m offended. ๐
My son and I are vegetarians. My son is six. His dad is very much not a vegetarian and can’t wait to introduce him to meat when he’s a teenager and understands where meat comes from more. His dad and I aren’t together. ๐
When I tell my son where meat comes from he doesn’t want to eat meat/fish/poultry. I am hoping he continues to feel that way. Thanks for the diclaimer. We will be eating Tofurky, no gravy this year. My mother makes it with lots of spices and it’s great that way.
I’m vegan and British, it was funny just like every post you’ve written.
Love it Amber!!
I’m vegetarian, but 100% not offended. This made me laugh. Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy thanksgiving. I am very thankful that I have your blog every day. You put a smile on my face every time.
Your boys are too cute and such vibrant personalities : )
Enjoy the holiday and stuff yourself full!!
So impressed with the “crappy” turkey illustration. That is one good turkey drawing!
Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for your awesome blog. ๐
You draw a veeeeeery nice turkey.Nicely done indeed.
As a vegetarian who lives in Australia – also not utterly offended! Happy Thursday and I’ll have a vegemite sandwich for you! (squash is not on the menu today!) :o)
My 6 yr old has said for well over a year, “The (cow, pig, chicken) doesn’t know we are eating it because it is dead.” this after asking what kind of animal it is.
My eldest when she saw a rabbit at the petting zoo: ”hello little rabbit, you taste very good in mustard sauce, I look forward to eating you someday’. She’s two and a half…
Haha great post!! I was cleaning our turkey yesterday and my 3 yr old daughter asked what I was doing. I told her how the turkey died for us to eat so that we could stay strong and healthy. She then saw me pull out its neck. Oh man, that was the breaking point, her bottom lip puckered as she asked where its head was. I tried to bring up some other subject but she wandered away and said “I just feel really bad for that little turkey.” Needless to say she did not partake in the Thanksgiving meal. Poor thing. LOL Happy Thanksgiving back at you!
You crack me up- I have actually had people offended by my disclaimers on my blog. You just can’t win. But you rock. Offend away!
We’ve more than fulfilled the fall requirements.
I’m a vegetarian and I laughed out loud. I hope they enjoyed eating their turkey friend!
Oh my gosh I laughed so hard!! That was the best good-bye ever! I love it. I always get concerned about how my 6 yo girl is going to act in these situations, but she acts the same way.
We were traveling to a barbeque and the kids were excited – I get the wing!! I get the leg!!
My younger 3yo son yelled out, “I get the head!” and couldn’t understand why everyone looked at him with disgust. (He, to this day at 16 yo, continues to be a hoot)
We were in a restaurant the day before Thanksgiving and when my 6 year old daughter was handed her plate with chicken and veggies on it she said, “I don’t eat anything that used to be alive anymore.” We pointed out that vegetables used to be alive too and that she had our permission if she wanted to be vegetarian but she still had to eat veggies and bread, lol. I think she ate turkey on Thanksgiving though, so her resolve didn’t last too long.
Haha! Clearly tastiness trumps emotional bonds, on this one.
Too funny! Reminds me of when we raised pigs and the kids named them “baconator”, “hammy” and “dinner”.
A week later and this post is still making me laugh, so I figured I had to let you know.
Kids are amazingly resilient with the whole animal to food thing. When we prepared a rooster my 3yo was chatting to the chicken head saying “Don’t worry, Dora (rooster was named when we thought she was a girl), we’ll eat you”.
She wants to eat our other rooster, too, but not till after we have some chicks!
What i don’t realize is actually how you are no longer actually a lot more neatly-appreciated than you might be right now. You are so intelligent. You know thus considerably relating to this subject, produced me individually imagine it from numerous varied angles. Its like men and women are not fascinated unless it is something to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your personal stuffs outstanding. Always take care of it up!
This is such and interesting end to my day. More people not understanding
anything about anything. I suggest roque online casino your luck as your opinions are
questionable.
I love the turkey you drew. He’s awesome.
I am in pain from laughing so hard…you really made me miss those days…I was always laughing about something they did or said…even after they were asleep!!
It was the perfect ‘greeting card Thanksgiving Turkey’ that made me laugh so hard..I thought it was genius to make the turkey look like the ideal bird for a holiday feast…so picture perfect!
That is so funny! I told my kids that they had to point the guns that they made from Legos ‘away ‘ from people , so they held them backwards…yes, my brothers had a special ‘look’ that they gave ME, when they saw this activity, and it still makes me laugh to remember.
That is just absolutely priceless!
Kids understand that some animals eat other animals, so it’s really not all that difficult to grasp that we do too.
As a vegetarian who lives in Australia – also not utterly offended!
i’m just now catching up w/your blog…but had to comment on this thing about squash because it made me lol!
i’m a vegan/vegetarian. I don’t know why, but I continue to be surprised when I order a veggie item on a meaty restaurant’s menu and it involves squash…why do meat-eaters think that vegetarians like squash…or even want it on everything from omelettes (not kidding!) to burritos to sandwiches to pasta? If you go to a veg restaurant, there’s scarcely any squash on the menu (thank god)…but for some reason, if you go to a meat restaurant, it’s everywhere!!!
anyway, please save me from one more thanksgiving having the meat-eaters serve me disgusting, mushy, tasteless squash and squelch the “all vegetarians love squash” myth! Viva la Tofurkey!! ๐
*happy sigh* I adore you.
Happy squashday (see what I did there?) from a vegan who loves pumpkin :oD
Thanks for linking to this post from today’s non-Thanksgiving post! Vegetarian, not offended. But not crazy about squash. Anyway, I totally FELT your fear of the meltdown! My son hasn’t cried when we talk about why we don’t eat meat (he’s free to choose to eat it later when he has all the info), but he DID have a meltdown at 18 months while eating an elephant animal cracker. In between tears: “ElePHAAAANT!!” *sniffle, sniffle* This was way before any conversations on being vege. That’s why your post made me smile. ๐
great footnotes! that was my favorite part of the blog, and now i’m off to eat some squash.