It's okay to admit it. Your children are just about to drive you crazy. During this season of supposed peace and tranquility, your children are far from the cherubs they portrayed in the church play.
The whirl of activities around the holidays causes children to become giddy, demanding, and sometimes out of control. But rejoice! You can do something to keep their over-enthusiasm to a minimum so you can enjoy a silent night or two, and possibly a calm afternoon, during the holiday season.
- Stick with a schedule. Familiarity breeds contentment when it comes to small children. Keep meals, naps, and bedtime at the regular hours as often as possible.
- Limit activities. An afternoon of shopping with your small children, followed by dinner at grandmas, spells disaster.
- Enlist your children's help. For example, if you're wrapping presents, have them pull the tape pieces off for you.
- Don't expect perfection. Have your children cut out imperfect gingerbread men with you. It's much easier to cope with armless gingerbread men than with children fighting over who gets to play with the toy (Name any toy – They'll fight over it when you're busy) while you're trying to cut out and put raisin eyes on three dozen cookies.
- Limit Christmas goodies. Sugar "highs" do happen. Make snacks healthy foods instead.
- Offer them fun exercise. Not only is it good for them, but it also burns off some excess energy.
- Be flexible. Families who are able to step outside of traditional roles when they see a need are able handle stressful situations better. For example, an older sibling can put away little Timmy's crayons, while little Timmy takes the clothes from the dryer and puts them in a basket for Daddy to fold later in the evening.
- Remember older children, too. They like to receive gifts, and they like surprises. One family gave an older child separate pieces of the nativity each day so they had a complete set by Christmas Eve. Another family wrapped up ornaments and surprised their child on Christmas Eve with a small tree for the child's room.
- Give your children someone else to think about. Older children can benefit from a project that causes them to think about someone else's needs. Some families "adopt" a child or family for whom the children can make presents and drop them off during the 12 days of Christmas.
- Devote uninterrupted, focused time with your children. They need the reassurance you give them by cuddling, playing with, and reading to them.
- Keep your stress under control. Your children have radar sensitivity when it comes to detecting your stress. And if they sense you're stressed, they'll act up even more.
The holidays are a time of great excitement for children. Enjoy their enthusiasm, take lots of pictures, and try to remember how excited you were at this time of year when you were a child. |
