Presents…food…concerts…decorations…religious observances…parties…pageants…and STRESS. The hype surrounding the holidays begins around November 1, and the frenzy doesn’t end until after January 1. This makes for a LONG holiday season. Adults have experience dealing with the holiday blitz; however, children have a more difficult time handling the pressures surrounding this fun, yet emotionally exhausting, time of the year.
As a parent/guardian, you can assist your tween with battling the emotional upsets that may erupt during the holiday season. Read this informative posts for five tips on how to assist tweens with handling the holidays.
1. LOWER EXPECTATIONS
One of the best ways to assist a tween with handling the holidays is to lower your expectations. No family celebration occurs without some type of glitch. Maybe the turkey doesn’t cook all the way through, or your dog chews up your elderly aunt’s purse. Stuff happens. Instead of over-reacting because your holiday event didn’t turn out like a fairy tale, be thankful for what DID go right. If you do this, your tween will feel much more at ease. He or she will learn a valuable lesson as well: don’t sweat the small stuff.
2. KEEP A NORMAL SCHEDULE
Another way to help a tween cope with the never ending holiday season revolves around adhering to your normal schedule. Resist the urge to allow a child unlimited late nights, and opt for regular meal times as well. Children – and many adults – handle life much more effectively if they are well rested and well fed. In addition, you will help to keep your child remain illness free if his immune system stays healthy.
3. SCHEDULE DOWN TIME
Scheduling downtime goes hand in hand with keeping a normal schedule. Children need time to recharge. To describe it in their terms, they need to be able to chill. Don’t attend every holiday event in your town. Instead, have a few relaxing days and/or nights where your child can relax. (Maybe have a cup of hot cocoa and watch a fun movie together).
4. DON’T FOCUS SOLELY ON PRESENTS
I know a family with five children. When their first child was little, they began a tradition of placing a present in the child’s shoe each night starting on the first of December and lasting until the 25th…when Santa arrived with oodles of other presents. Five children later, this couple realizes they created an atmosphere fostering greed in their children. The end result – the children are always looking for “the next present.” Help your tween to appreciate the holidays more by NOT focusing solely on the gift giving aspect of the season.
5. DEVELOP A FAMILY TRADITION
Holidays will be more fun for tweens if they have a family tradition to look forward to. Some families cut down a Christmas tree together every year. Other families bake different types of cookies. It doesn’t really matter what your tradition entails, it just needs to be fun for the entire family. Trust me, if you forget your tradition, your tween will remind you! They thrive on consistency.