Parent Tip of the week#105: Staying calm over the holidays

• Maintain your relationships to your children- Talk to your kids as much as possible.  Ask them how they are feeling, thinking, and what they are worried about.  Time over the holidays is often busier and shorter.  So each minute counts!
• Initiate conversations about the season – Not everyone does the holidays the same, and not everyone needs to do the holidays the same.  Talk to your children about why you do what you do in your family.  Talk to them about your family traditions. Invite their opinion of the traditions and see if there is something they want to begin doing as a family that you had never thought of!  
• Set expectations – Make sure you set realistic gift expectations for YOURSELF and your children.  This is a great opportunity to teach your children about over spending and about generosity to others.  
• Take care of yourself – Find time to find your Zen.  Maybe this means more outside fresh air.  Maybe its toga.  Maybe it is your favorite book.  Maybe it is less TV viewing for the kids and more quiet time doing puzzles, coloring, or playing pretend.  Maybe it means watching less news or cable commentators.  Hopefully it all means less stress.