With the holiday season nearly upon us, I often find myself in conversation with my two small children (ages 5 and 3) about what it means to be "thankful." We discuss being thankful for our health and the health of our family members, how lucky we are to have warm clothes, warm food and a warm place to lay our heads. As parents, we try to help our children understand what it means to "give back" and to help those less fortunate; whether it be donating books, toys and clothes to Goodwill or canned foods to the local food bank, we want our children to be empathetic to the needs of others.