HOLIDAY STRESS!

This a great article I got from our Food Program.  It has many helpful tips and reminders about how to deal with the chaos and stress of the holidays with kids!

http://www.mn2020hindsight.org/view/parenting-how-to-cope-with-the-holidays

Parenting: How to Cope With the Holidays

By Lizzy Froehle, Hindsight Community Fellow, December 18, 2012 at 1:30 pm

Left unchecked, a toddler will become a rampant holiday whiner who refuses to go to sleep, throws tantrums, and won’t eat anything but sugar. Yes, that seems like an exaggeration but trust me, it happens.

I’m embarking on my first December of parenting a two year old. I’m thrilled to finally be introducing the magic of the holiday season to my child through beautiful lights, playing in the snow, cheery music, holiday cookies, hot cocoa and the Elf on the Shelf. But I’ve quickly learned that parenting through this season is hard word.

The odds are against you and your children—parties that push back bedtime. Tables filled with sweets. Toys tempting your child with every end cap in every store.

Now, I’m not a Grinch. I think giving and receiving presents is lovely and I’m a huge fan of holiday treats. So please understand that I am not promoting an anti-holiday. I’m promoting preparation. Parents should arm themselves with the skills necessary to help their children survive the season, personality unscathed. Here’s how.

• Exercise patience. Don’t forget that temptation is everywhere.
• Be consistent. Don’t say no and give in. Also, beware of overusing the word no. It means nothing then.
• Establish whining zones. Give them a safe place where they can do all the whining they please. Just make sure you aren’t around to hear it as research shows whining is the worst and most distracting sound in the world (I do not believe that research was necessary to reach said conclusion).
• Acknowledge your child the first time they ask something in a real voice. This encourages them to speak and wards off their need to whine.

Also, parents need to try to protect their children’s routines. Bedtime, naptime, reading time, etc. It’s important for your family to be flexible, but within a framework. Watch your child at those holiday parties and read their cues. When they start to break down, go home. Don’t let your child push bedtimes or skip naps a few days in a row. When children are exhausted, their ability to sleep tanks. So a few consecutive nights of pushing their bedtime actually multiplies into another two or three more days of sleep deprivation and instability.

Parents, Teachers, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, How do you approach caring for children in the Holiday season? What techniques do you use to prevent the Too Much Holiday whine? And yes, your answer can be wine (for you, not the kids).