Today is Thanksgiving. Our little family has much to be thankful for. Our joys far outweigh our struggles. My house is full with happy, healthy, active kids with bright futures. Gary has the day off and we are prepping for a full day of thanksgiving and family fun!
I get a lot of questions about Thanksgiving and Prader-Willi syndrome. For some families Thanksgiving is rough because it is filled with stress. I know. Strange statement but it is true for many kiddos with PWS that stress and excitement tend to come hand in hand. Excited about the big meal but already thinking, plotting about what they will get to eat and hoping for extra treats.... Wondering how much of this or when or if the days schedule will be messed up. Wondering if food will be unattended or if aunt Sally will remember to bring ________. It's rough for those families.
It can be stressful on parents as well, especially if family members or guests are not on board with PWS. Will Uncle Fred slip treats to little Johnny even though he's been told not to. Will the herd of cousins leave uneaten food or drinks lying about. There are strategies for dealing with all of these issues but I am no expert on any of them.
One of the things we can add to our list of what we are thankful for is that Ayden Jane is not stressed at all by Thankgiving. She loves the "feast " and really loves that her entire family is all home. (We should have a few more years where that's the case). She simply asked me if she can have some of everything she is allowed to eat. Of course the answer was yes and off she galloped to play.
We make a few adjustments, like this year Noah suggested we make her some chocolate covered strawberries to enjoy while the rest of the crew eats a super sugary, strawberry jello salad with pretzel crust thing. She does get mashed potatoes with lots of butter and thinks she is a queen! How could we not give her grandmas famous mashed potatoes though... She enjoys the green bean casserole, lots of turkey (usually wants the whole leg all to herself) and any other vegetables. Sometimes I bake her some apples and walnuts with honey and cinnamon but didn't pull that one off this year. She is unconcerned about skipping rolls or stuffing or her brothers baked Mac n cheese. Things I could do for her that may come in handy down the road are make Parmesan crisps or other carb free crackers or even cloud bread.
Honestly, Ayden Jane just makes it easy because she is so thrilled by the little gestures. Noah's thoughtfulness of the chocolate strawberries has already made her Thanksgivivng. So, I will keep other families for whom holidays such as this are challenging to navigate in my thoughts and prayers and thoroughly appreciate the gift of yet another relaxed, joyful Thanksgiving.
I get a lot of questions about Thanksgiving and Prader-Willi syndrome. For some families Thanksgiving is rough because it is filled with stress. I know. Strange statement but it is true for many kiddos with PWS that stress and excitement tend to come hand in hand. Excited about the big meal but already thinking, plotting about what they will get to eat and hoping for extra treats.... Wondering how much of this or when or if the days schedule will be messed up. Wondering if food will be unattended or if aunt Sally will remember to bring ________. It's rough for those families.
It can be stressful on parents as well, especially if family members or guests are not on board with PWS. Will Uncle Fred slip treats to little Johnny even though he's been told not to. Will the herd of cousins leave uneaten food or drinks lying about. There are strategies for dealing with all of these issues but I am no expert on any of them.
One of the things we can add to our list of what we are thankful for is that Ayden Jane is not stressed at all by Thankgiving. She loves the "feast " and really loves that her entire family is all home. (We should have a few more years where that's the case). She simply asked me if she can have some of everything she is allowed to eat. Of course the answer was yes and off she galloped to play.
We make a few adjustments, like this year Noah suggested we make her some chocolate covered strawberries to enjoy while the rest of the crew eats a super sugary, strawberry jello salad with pretzel crust thing. She does get mashed potatoes with lots of butter and thinks she is a queen! How could we not give her grandmas famous mashed potatoes though... She enjoys the green bean casserole, lots of turkey (usually wants the whole leg all to herself) and any other vegetables. Sometimes I bake her some apples and walnuts with honey and cinnamon but didn't pull that one off this year. She is unconcerned about skipping rolls or stuffing or her brothers baked Mac n cheese. Things I could do for her that may come in handy down the road are make Parmesan crisps or other carb free crackers or even cloud bread.
Honestly, Ayden Jane just makes it easy because she is so thrilled by the little gestures. Noah's thoughtfulness of the chocolate strawberries has already made her Thanksgivivng. So, I will keep other families for whom holidays such as this are challenging to navigate in my thoughts and prayers and thoroughly appreciate the gift of yet another relaxed, joyful Thanksgiving.
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