Thanksgiving Traditions and Gender Roles

Let me just start off by saying that I don’t believe in designated gender roles. If my daughter wants to wield a soldering iron, she has, or my son wants to crochet, he asked his sister to teach him, he should.

I also believe kids are inherently born with passions and desires that lead them on certain paths. They have interests that guide their futures, take them to certain careers and jobs, focus their interests in school and in life.

All this to say that on Thanksgiving we have traditions around our house.

Usually it starts off by me sleeping in a little later than normal. I get up around eight in the morning because I will be cooking most of the meal. By then my husband has already chopped veggies and peeled potatoes. That leaves me to start my process. My daughter joins me in the kitchen. Together we start discussing what to work in first. Her tasks are always rolls and setting the table.

I do stuffing and mashed potatoes and salads and all the other fixings that come along with Thanksgiving.

And while this is all happening, my parents take my son to the movies and they have a good time and it’s not a gender thing. It’s not that he can’t help in the kitchen. It’s that he has no interest. My daughter on the other hand loves it and is a big help. We laugh in the kitchen and someday she’ll take over the thanksgiving duties from where I left off and where I took over from my mother.

I love that my son gets that time with my parents. That’s special. I love that I get this time with my daughter. It’s wonderful.

What are your holiday traditions?