Thanksgiving 2026 is going to be interesting.  Why 2026?  Our younger daughter should be graduating from college around that year.  So both of the girls should be fairly independent.  What brings this to mind?

A couple of weeks ago, Uncle Matt and Aunt Alison were in town, and I was putting Eliana (4yrs) down for a nap.  We were reading a story from a book of fairytales: The Little Red Hen.  For those of you not familiar with the story, The Little Red Hen and her chicks find some seeds, plant them, tend to them, harvest the grain, etc… with out any help from the Dog, Cat and Duck on the farm.

But when The Little Red Hen uses the grain to make bread, the Dog, Cat, and Duck ask for their share.  The Little Red Hen tells them no, as they could have helped her, but refused.  So she was only giving the bread to her chicks, who helped along the way.

Eliana tells, “That’s no fair. She should share.  There is enough bread for everyone.”

“Well, Eliana,” I tell her, “That’s what we call socialism.  Do you think it is fair that one person does all of the work and three others get to take a part of the reward?”

“Yes,” she tells me, “you should share.”

After leaving her room to nap, I went down to lament my concerns to my wife of having a Communist in the house.  After reviewing the story for the sake of the adults in the room, and adding Eliana’s reactions, our older daughter, Serafina, chimes in, “That’s not fair.  The hen did all of the work. Why should they get the bread?”

So, Thanksgiving 2026 is going to be interesting – mainly to see if these feelings still hold true for both of them.  And if they do, I imagine the conversation is going to be lively, to say the least.