Anyone Else Invited To The Ex’s House For Thanksgiving?
This is my second Thanksgiving as a single lady. My ex and I ended things in the summer of 2013, and with three kids it's been important to us to get along and maintain a good relationship, and let it evolve into something new. We're both much happier apart, an although we weren't right for each other as spouses, we genuinely care about each other and have been able to find places for each other in our lives as we move on. And I'm going over there for Thanksgiving! Is this a good thing?
I ran across a blog that laid out the pros and cons of spending Thanksgiving with your ex.
One of the big pros involves the kids of course. If you spend turkey day with your ex, there's no shuttling of the kids from house to house, and they can eat and play all day with both parents under the same roof. The blogger also said it seems right and mature to let the past be the past and "put whatever aside" so we can be thankful for what we do have. I agree.
On the list of cons, is the fact that it may bring up emotions that are hard to deal with and make us flash back to happy times when we were together at Thanksgiving. I'm a smidge worried about that. But again, since I'm in a happy place now it might not be so bad. The blogger also says it can create expectations for next year for the kids, that everyone will be together under the same roof at Thanksgiving.
There are very few families it seems that have zero divorce in them. Things happen and then Thanksgiving dinner rolls around and somehow we've all got to make the best of it.
So regardless of your situation, have a very happy Thanksgiving! Some of us just might re-define what it means to be a family.