e-mail
Even if you consciously chose to slow things down this year and not go overboard for the holidays, it’s likely that your child can sense things are more stressful and fast paced than usual during this winter season. If your child was recently adopted, has only been home for a short time or is just very sensitive to changes, the holiday season can wreak havoc on their emotions and behavior.
With the holiday rush behind us, it’s time to unwind and come down from the crazy days leading up to the winter holidays. Children who are newly adopted may be feeling overwhelmed from the festivities and material gifts that they were given. Younger children whose sleep schedules may have been disrupted will need at least a few days to get back on track. Here are some ideas about how to help your family recover from the busy days surrounding the holidays:
Hibernate. Even if you live somewhere warm, you can hole up in your home and make a strict immediate family only policy for a few days. Try to plan so no one needs to leave the house unless they have to for work or other necessary outings. Although you’re technically staying in, do plan for some outdoor time together. Walks or games played together can do wonders to help relieve stress.
Limit your family’s television, computer and video game time unless it can be viewed or played by the whole family. Instead, cook meals together and work on projects agreed upon by the whole family.
Encourage quiet time and time for the family to simply hang out together and talk. Crafts are great for days like this; you can even start working on your child’s adoption lifebook with their help if they’re older.
Try to instigate adoption related conversations, such as ‘How do the holidays make you think or feel about your birthparents?’, ‘How do our family’s traditions differ from the ones that you experienced in Viet Nam?’
Overall, take your child’s lead and go with the flow to tend to their needs. We can all use some down time this time of year, and doing it together as a
family can be very rewarding.
More Reading:
Holiday Traditions From Our House
Holiday Traditions
Adoptive Family Traditions
