You're listening to the First Name Basis podcast, Episode 14, How to Teach your children about Thanksgiving.

Welcome to First Name Basis, a community of parents committed to making the transformation, from good intentions to confident action. Join us each week as we cover

critical topics and answer the questions you've never felt comfortable asking. We'll use the lessons we

learn to teach our children about race, religion, and culture. I'm your host, Jasmine Bradshaw.

Hello, First NameBasis, fam. I am so glad you are here.

Last week, I promised that I would make an entire episode about how to talk to your children about Thanksgiving and I am here to deliver. If you hear thunder and lightning

going on in the background, well, I guess you wouldn't hear the lightning, but if you hear thunder,

it's because I am recording this during one of Arizona's

like 10 rainstorms that we have a year. So bear with me. During this episode, I am going to share

with you four concrete things that you can do with your children and for your children to teach them about Thanksgiving

in a way that doesn't gloss over the truth, doesn't romanticize anything, and doesn't

perpetuate stereotypes. So let's jump in. The very first thing that you can do is teach them the

real story of Thanksgiving. I shared everything that I know and everything

that I have learned about the real untold story

of Thanksgiving in last week's episode, episode 13.

So if you miss that, I suggest you pause right now

and go back and listen to it because I think you'll learn a lot.

I sure did when I was making it.

So first, teach them about the truth. You know your child best. You are their parent.

You are the expert. So you know what they're ready for. If they're not ready for the whole story,

the complete picture, that is a okay. Because the real story, the truth, can be violent at parts.

I mean, digging up people's graves, I don't think I would explain that to a four-year-old.

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