Are you as thankful as I am that kids 5 and up are now eligible for COVID vaccinations? And that some travel restrictions have been lifted just before we feast together on Thanksgiving and ring in the rest of the holiday season?
To be honest, time feels like it’s playing tricks on me since the pandemic began. Only one year ago, we went into a fall lockdown. Travel was discouraged. Family gatherings for Thanksgiving were frowned upon. Super spreader events were the last thing you wanted any piece of. Vaccines were still a faraway hope for all of us. At the clinic, we shifted to all online therapy again after having returned to limited in-person therapy the summer prior. Not sure about you, but last year, I found it really, really hard to be thankful.
This year, being together with distant relatives can be done safely given that vaccines have been available for months now! Once again, we can feast without fear and share stories and favorite dishes around our tables. Your biggest challenge may be that many of us are out of practice at being social! School-age kids have had some practice by returning to in-person schools. Yet, many kids will be out of their routines and need tips for bringing their best social skills. Or they may find themselves in that awkward spot of trying to reconnect with distant relatives they don’t truly remember.
Need a few social skills ice-breakers? We got you:
- Start a conversation
- Read a favorite book together
- Play games
- Make a gratitude chain
- Make slime
Our clinic will be closed on Thursday, November 25, and Friday, November 26 so that we can spend the holiday weekend with our families. Whatever you end up doing to celebrate Thanksgiving, we hope it is joyful and filled with all of your loved ones.