HOLIDAY TIPS FOR NEWLY DIVORCED PARENTS
photo by Karl Wolfgang, used with permission
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Melody Beattie
HOLIDAY TIPS FOR DIVORCED PARENTS & NEWLY SINGLE PARENTS & WIDOWED PARENTS &…
This is a difficult time of year for many people including divorced parents and their children as well as widowed parents and their children. In my counseling practice in Topsfield Massachusetts I work with both parents and children for whom the holidays are especially tough. The three tips below for managing the holidays come from education, professional experience as well as personal experience.
Holiday Tip #1
This holiday will probably not be your child’s ideal way of celebrating. Know it, accept it. It doesn’t mean that you are a “bad” parent or have “failed”. It means that the parents made a choice that the child does not agree with in her/his heart.
Holiday Tip #2
Try to keep some of the same traditions while incorporating some new traditions. Include input from your children. Don’t change too many things. Consistency is your child’s friend. A friend of mine went through a difficult divorce and her child’s birthday was the first significant event where her father would not be present. My friend decided that instead of her traditional birthday cake she would change it up. The child had a meltdown. Her birthday was celebrated in a different place with different people, her dad wasn’t there and it was the new cake that was the last straw.
Holiday Tip #3
Remember the reason for the season.
Bonus Holiday Tip
Practice compassion, here’s a link to a previous blog on compassion:
www.harmonycounseling.biz/compassion-for-self/
~Katherine Ryan is a LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor) practicing in Topsfield, Massachusetts where she enjoys helping adults, children and teens become unstuck.
