A Parent’s Thanksgiving – What I’m Really Thankful For

When I first started writing this post, I immediately jotted down five of the biggest thing I feel thankful for. My list looked like this.

My home (I never thought I’d be able to be a homeowner).

My community (Salt Spring Island is fantastic).

My chance to be a stay-at-home mom (It’s not for everymum, but it’s perfect for me).

My support network (Family, friends, social groups, and even the blogging community I wriggled myself into).

Freedom of choices (Let’s face it, we have a lot more choices now than many other people past and in other places in the world).

But then, browsing through my feeds, seeing the same old gushy, warm-feeling sentiments popping out all over the place, I looked back at my list and realized, hey – no one ever says thank you for the small stuff. Or rather, the “small” stuff – the kind of things we take for granted every day, but who ever mentions them in their Turkey Day celebrations? No one.

I didn’t intend at first for this list to be strictly items that involve raising my kidlet, but they just came out that way as I wrote. Hey, parenting is a huge part of my life right now, so it makes sense.

So, while I’ll probably give thanks for the above mentioned things come turkey dinner time, this list of thanks is for all of the many things that ingloriously make my parenting life better, day after day, without even so much as a nod of appreciation.

A Parent’s Thanksgiving List

I’m thankful for tissue. Be it toilet paper or Kleenex, this stuff is wildly underrated. Wiping bums and catching those constantly dripping, seemingly endless boogers, this stuff is like gold to parents everywhere.

I’m thankful for squishy packs. I had great plans of nothing but homemade baby purées and simply offering what we have for dinner and that would be that. Then reality hit. Nutritious, organic, food that is easily portable, contains multiple food groups, no refined sugar, which my baby and now toddler actually wants to eat? Helllooooooo little packages!

I’m thankful for buckles on high chairs. A chance to drink my morning coffee while tossing pieces of fruits, cereal or whatever else I can find on that restrictive little tray, while my picky eating Little Z is forced to consider eating even a bit of it? I will take it!

I’m thankful for towels and rags. Spilled milk? Spilled cereal? Spilled water? Spilled urine? No problem. Get another rag and keep them coming.

I’m thankful for locking doorknobs. Yes, I’m peeing without you. No, you cannot help.

I’ll even add an extra one in here.

I’m thankful for electronics. I would love to pretend that I’ve never turned on a kiddie show or handed my toddler my phone in an effort to get gymnastics forms filled out, make some dinner, search for tax forms, survive a plane ride, or simply just have an easier evening after a long, long day. Really, I would. However, my reality is that electronics have saved my sanity more than once, and for that I am grateful.

What’s on your parenting list to be thankful for?