Christmas is one of the most special holidays of the year. Kids absolutely love it, and this can pose lots of challenges for parents. Children, especially younger ones, will likely have a hard time dealing with the anticipation and excitement that builds up every day as it gets closer and closer to the big day. Such large emotions can lead to major meltdowns, and as parents, it is easy to let it go because who wants to punish their child and ruin their Christmas spirit?
Well, what if there was something you can do about it? That’s where positive parenting comes in. With it, you’ll be able to enjoy Christmas with your little ones despite the lack of sleep, disrupted routines, and too much sugar!
Here are a Few Tips on How to Practice Positive Parenting this Christmas:
1. Relax
It is important to remember to relax on Christmas. Take the opportunity to spend time with your family. If you find yourself spending more time doing chores than spending quality time with your little ones, rework your priorities. The holidays are the perfect opportunity to relax, laugh, play, snuggle, destress, and build relationships as a family. Take advantage of it!
2. Set Realistic Expectations
Christmas won’t make your children better behaved if they already aren’t. When you are around friends and family, they might even surprise you by being on their worst behavior. That said, it is not fair to expect your little ones to be on their best behavior when you have company. It only sets everyone up to fail. The fact is children thrive on routine. It is hard to stick to a routine during the holidays, and when they are waking up early, loading up on sugar, and missing naps because they have people over, it is easy for them to get overwhelmed. So try to understand where they are coming from and have realistic expectations.
3. Plan Ahead
Since you know your children best, you can probably anticipate some of the common sticky moments you will inevitably have to deal with. Take the time to think things through as you plan your travels and festivities. This will help you stick to routines and avoid disrupting mealtimes or sleep patterns. Have some engaging activities prepared as well to keep everyone busy. And if you need an arsenal of batteries, toys, tablets, and snacks to ensure the day runs smoothly, don’t forget to prepare these in advance as well.
4. Set Rules and Stick to Them
It is important to set a few simple ground rules to help your kids understand what is expected of them. General rules like asking before you eat, sitting up at the table, and walking in the house instead of running will go a long way in helping you keep your sanity. Be sure to remind everyone about the rules regularly and use praise and rewards to incentivize them to stick to the rules.
At the same time, you have to have a plan for discipline strategies. What happens when your kids break the rules at grandma’s house? Plan ahead and agree to an appropriate response with your partner, then execute before things get out of hand by reminding the kids about your expectations at appropriate intervals.
5. Managing the Rest of the Family
Sometimes, the hardest thing about Christmas is not dealing with the kids. It’s managing the adults. It’s how to deal with the grandma who loads a toddler up on chocolate, or the aunts who criticize your parenting methods.
If you have certain rules that you need everyone to follow, make these clear to them. If possible, be on the same page with your partner regarding expectations and traditions that you would like your children to have. Talk about what’s important to you and what you would like to make a part of your kids’ lives going forward.
If there are chores to be done, ensure that the workload is divided fairly. And finally, any conflicts should be resolved amicably by the adults away from the children.
Final Thoughts
Parenting during the holidays is never easy. This is especially true for Christmas, which seldom turns out the way you planned it. And that’s OK. When you are realistic about your expectations, and when you plan everything well, it is bound to be a special period in your and your kids' lives. Merry Christmas!
