No matter your family celebrates this season, there’s no doubt that the holidays are upon us. Kids are counting the days until winter break, finding a parking spot at the mall on a Saturday is nearly impossible, and your to-do list has probable doubled (or tripled). It’s supposed to be a magical, winter-wonderland season, but for parents, the holiday season can send stress levels through the roof.
So how do you trade some of the hustle-bustle for fun, and possibly even a little well-deserved relaxation? Accept that you can’t do it all. There are probably a hundred things you’d love to be doing with or for your kids. Decorations to be made and put up, treats to bake, gifts to find and wrap and deliver, and envelopes to be addressed (after you proof your self-designed card that took twice as long to make as you thought). Don’t forget the holiday chorus concerts, shows, and sights to see, or the family events and gatherings. Also, the dog still needs to be fed, kids still have homework, laundry needs to be done (my elf still does not pitch in on that one!), and chances are someone is coming down with a cold. What’s the take-away message here? In order to enjoy the holidays, it helps to acknowledge that you simply can’t do it all and accept that missing out on a few things here and there does not make you a bad parent. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. By having realistic expectations you’ll spend less time frantically dashing around and more time actually connecting with your kids. That sounds like pretty good parenting to me! How can you put this into practice? Here are a few ideas:
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Stephanie O'Leary, Psy.D.
Sharing practical strategies that help parents rediscover joy in their children (even when someone's crying, the phone is ringing, and it smells like the house may be burning down) Archives
October 2017
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