families – New England's Narrow Road

Why Not Be Alone on Thanksgiving?

Right now I know a handful of people who will be home, all alone, on Thanksgiving. And not one of them is sad about that!

For the past couple of weeks everywhere I’ve been strangers have asked what I am doing for the holidays. Grocery clerks, nurses at the doctor’s office, bank tellers, you name it. When the nurse asked me what my plans were and I said “I don’t have any”, she looked at me like I had come from another planet. “Oh, are you cooking a turkey?” I said no, that I don’t do that any more. I wish I had added that I drink a bottle of wine now instead. Ha!

But the looks you get when you don’t seem to give a flyin flip about this holiday are quite amusing. My sister says that you can’t say that – that you will be alone and doing nothing. She says that she makes something up because otherwise people think you are pathetic.

The truth is that I don’t have much family. Only 2 of my kids are near me and I have one sister. My daughter nearly always goes to her boyfriend’s family’s house and my son visits his dad who has a big family. And although being invited into someone elses home to spend the holiday with their family seems like a nice thing to do, it is not appealing to me. I don’t want to spend time watching another family spend time together.

Thanksgiving is a family holiday and if you don’t have family, there is no sense in celebrating it. We don’t all have parents, grandparents, cousins, etc. and those of us who don’t prefer to be alone. Some people do have big families and just want to steer clear of all the drama of being together.

So leave us alone if we decide to be alone on Thanksgiving. Enjoy your turkey and crowded roadways and I’ll enjoy a peaceful, quiet day, drinking my wine.

Bring the Kids to New Hampshire

While writing my page for the Wizzley contest: Things to Do With Kids in New Hampshire I discovered some places right here in my state that I had never heard of, like Stand Up Paddleboarding on the Saco River. Never heard of it, and I’m sure I am not coordinated enough to try it, but what fun!

I no longer have little kids (kinda happy about that) but I remember coming up to New Hampshire from Massachusetts for vacations. We had a little travel trailer and stayed at Newfound Lake camping with friends. We also hit Six Gun City, Storyland, and Polar Caves at some point. I did not include those places in my article. I was more interested in finding great outdoor places to visit since this state is very nature oriented and beautiful. But I included a few science centers as well.

I also didn’t want to forget about the older kids and teens who are harder to please when it comes to vacationing.

Where Would You Take Your Kids in NH? (newenglandsnarrowroad.wordpress.com)

Long, Long Summer Days

I have been dreading summer. I am the single parent of a 12-year old who needs activity – lots of activity. I work at home. I live in a small, rental house – about 1,000 square feet. He plays video games and watches tv in the living room which is right beside the kitchen where I have my computer set up at the kitchen table.

I listen to iCarly, Big Time Rush, Fairly Odd Parents and Spongebob all day – well, only when I’m not listening to him yell at his video games. He is a loud child who likes to scare the cat, make random strange noises, and thrives on noise.

Don’t get me wrong, he does go outside. We live near a lake and he goes swimming with a couple of friends who live up the road. But those friends have a big family and take trips all summer. We live on a dirt road and bike riding is tough and I don’t want him riding alone.

I don’t have relatives or friends close by to go visit, and I need to get my work done anyway. We don’t have our own home and since it’s a duplex, I am always worried about him making lots of noise outside with his friends, so inviting friends here is not helpful.
Every day we struggle with what to do. I get up early and begin working around 4:30am and he sleeps until 9am or so, but after lunch the day really drags.

I never planned for my kids to not have siblings, but the plans I’ve made have never come close to coming to be. At my age all my friends have grown children, money for vacations and traveling, and look forward to summer. My older son will be visiting for a couple of weeks and that will give us something to do. I’ll be cooking and the kids will be hanging out, but if my son is occupied it will be a big help.

Meanwhile, I will be getting very little done work-wise and my blogging takes twice as long since I can’t think straight! Is it really only the beginning of July?