3-Minute Guru


Monday, December 13, 2010
How to survive the holiday craziness

BY KAREN DEERWESTER

We love the holidays! We hate the holidays! And kids feel it, too.  Holidays are special, but they throw our carefully orchestrated lives into chaos.

We, as well as our children, have huge expectations for how things will be.  We want all the fun the toy retailers promise, the perfect new outfits to pose for perfect pictures and priceless memories, and we want the Hallmark family who says and does all the right things.

Help your child manage the holiday excitement ...

 Karen Deerwester.  Alternate energetic and quiet activities in the busy days ahead.

  Have a plan for the holiday gimme's.

 Redirect your child's attention with a "transition game" when she gets "stuck" on     one idea - Sing a happy song, act out a story, or play "I spy" or "I hear".

 Get ready for age-related fear of Santa Claus ...

 Accept that this may not be the year for the smiling Santa Claus picture. Some young children are not OK being close to someone who dresses and looks so different from regular friends and family.

Plan multiple visits to the mall allowing your child to watch other children before your picture day.
  • If it's really important, invite a friend to wear the Santa Claus costume at home and take pictures there.

Slow down ...just in case

Household accidents are more likely when parents are busy and preoccupied with holiday activities.
  • Assign one person to watch little ones when grown-ups are busy, especially in pool areas. (Give them the "I'm in charge" safety necklace to wear until it's someone else's turn to supervise the kiddos).
  • Remind guests to place purses and suitcases that might hold chokables or medications out of reach.

Remember your discipline basics ...
  • Say what you mean - state what you want (not what you don't want).  "Bring me the glass
ornament and I'll help you put it back on the tree (instead of "OMG ... don't drop that ornament!")
  • Mean what you say - be prepared to act on your words if your child doesn't comply. E.G., walk over to your child and calmly get the ornament.
  • If your child is "testing", shut down the situation quickly.

Enjoy a peaceful, relaxed holiday season!



Karen Deerwester is the author of "The Entitlement-Free Child" and "The Potty Training Answer Book" and the owner of Family Time Coaching and Consulting. She offers one-on-one parent coaching, as well as classes and seminars. She is also Mommy & Me director at B'Nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, where she works with mothers, infants and toddlers through age 2. Get more information about B'Nai Torah's early childhood education program here. Visit the Family Time website and follow Karen on Twitter @FamilyTimeInc.