The holiday season can be very stressful for parents.  Worrying about not having enough money to purchase gifts, worrying about gift giving, being stressed about not having enough time and general credit card debt can all be high on parents’ lists of concerns at this time of year.
 
What can you do to deal with some of this stress and build resilience?
 
1) Set expectations:  Talk with your children about realistic expectations for gifts as well the overall holiday master plan for activities and outings.  We all like to know what is coming down the road…  If money is an issue, then be open and realistic with your kids about this.  Depending upon the age of your child, you can use this as an opportunity to talk about the value of money and responsible spending.  You can also discuss the very broad range of “giving” to one another at this time and throughout the year.
 
2) Keep things in perspective:  Try to think of your stressful situation in a broad, long-term kind of way and do your best to not blow things out of perspective. Help your kids gain this realistic perspective including what types and how many gifts they might receive.  Remember, depending on the age of your child, there are some excellent life lessons to learn here – what is realistic and keeping things in perspective…
 
3) Make connections: View the holidays as an opportunity to reconnect with people.  Good relationships with family and friends are lifelong resources. Accept the support from those who want to help you out. Use this time as an opportunity to teach your children about the value of helping of others. You can all assist someone else in need and possibly volunteer at a local charity.  As a parent, you can model the gift of helping others and demonstrate the value of connecting with individuals in a meaningful way.
 
4) Take care of yourself:  Monitor your own needs and feelings during the holidays. Schedule activities that you and your family enjoy and find relaxing.  Try to involve as many family members as possible in this decision making.  If your family is involved in shaping the master holiday plan, there is a greater likelihood that more of them will participate and enjoy it.  At the end of the day, you want your family and kids to look back upon the holiday activities and outings as fun and memorable. Get out together… move around ….reduce screen time and try to enjoy each other’s company at this unique time of year.
 
Enjoy…..
 
Reference: See American Psychological Association – www.apa.org/helpcenter/parents