Experiencing holidays with the children in our lives can be so much fun. Their excitement tends to be contagious. On the other hand, the changes in routine, eating habits and sleep combined with the pressure to fulfill holiday expectations can create added stress for parents and children.
In this final post in the Helpful Holiday Links from Therapists series, I’ve compiled links which address common topics that emerge for parents during the holidays. The tips contained in these posts are practical, helpful and come from therapist colleagues across the country. I hope one or more of the links that I have shared will speak to you.
If you haven’t already done so, please feel free to check out the first two posts in this series:
I have enjoyed putting this series of links together for you and hope that you have found a post or two (or more) that connected with you and will help you navigate this holiday season. Please feel free to leave me a comment below letting me know what you thought of this series.
Sarah
Children, Parenting & The Holidays
If you are a parent who feels a little “grinchy” this holiday season, don’t worry you are not alone. New York therapist Rebekah Shackney is a self identified grinchy mom who shares her experience in The Therapist Take Her Own Advice: Confessions of a Grinchy Mom.
Parent Coach, Nicole Schwartz wrote The Ultimate Holiday Stress Survival Guide for Parents and it is definitely a survival guide. Nicole addresses everything from setting reasonable expectations to managing post-gift let down to avoiding Christmas card envy and more.
It can be difficult to look forward to the holidays when you are worried that your child may demonstrate difficult behaviors. Danielle Maxon shares some tips that may be helpful in Surviving the Holidays with Defiant Kids.
North Carolina therapist Jaclyn Weatherhead wrote What children really want this year….. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think this post is definitely worth the read if you are a parent, grandparent, teacher or anyone else who is involved in a child’s life. I particularly love the last three paragraphs.
The holidays can be overwhelming for anxious children. If you are a parent of an child who experiences anxiety, you will want to check out Anxious Kids: 5 Ways to Thrive Through the Holidays written by Natasha Daniels.
Stressors & Children: Holidays addresses how we can help our children respond to and cope with the changes that often accompany holidays, so that they can enjoy the holiday as much as possible. This is post is part of a series I write about stressors and children.