Destressing the season
While adults may be tempted to pack in every possible tradition from October to January, children often enjoy the season most when there is still room for ordinary life with family and friends. A little planning can help preserve the joy while mitigating the stress:
• Protect routines: keep meals, naps and bedtimes reasonably consistent, especially for younger children.
• Less is more: a few meaningful traditions are often more memorable than a calendar packed with activities.
• Prepare children: talk beforehand about travel, visitors, parties and expectations for behavior (particularly around receiving gifts).
• Build in downtime: quiet afternoons and unscheduled evenings help children, and parents, reset.
• Keep perspective: meltdowns happen. Lower expectations, offer grace and remember that children are more likely to remember how the holidays felt than whether everything went perfectly
No matter what traditions your family celebrates, these moments are fraught with tension between wanting the perfect experience for your children, and the possibility of disappointment you may feel from falling short of perfection.
Just remember, the most important part of these moments is the opportunity they provide us to convey important family values to our children.
Brought to you by:
Dr. Christopher Schoberl
Head of School
Ashbrook Independent School
4045 SW Research Way
Corvallis, OR 97333
541-766-8313
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