12 Tips for Winter Break: It's Here! So Make Tweaks In Real Time!
Winter Break! Has it started for you yet? Here are some suggestions of ways to tweak your plan and make sure that you’re comfortable dealing with the unexpected.
Here’s your recap of all of our instagram posts for this week, all tidied up for you in one easy to find spot (and if you want to see this on insta, follow us over there @CounselingWithKelsey)
Tip 7: Set Clear Expectations
Winter break is here! Or for some families, just around the corner. Now that we're actually in it, it's a great time to review and re-set clear expectations for your kids.
Talk with them about what the liked or didn't like about winter break last year.
Re-evaluate your plan and your schedule of events.
Preemptively talk with your co-parent about how you'll handle meltdowns, fights, arguments, or anxiety outbursts in the different settings you'll be in.
Go through examples of logical consequences (you don't have a crystal ball, but you do know that types of challenges your kids normally face) and help your child come up with a plan for how to avoid the things that normally get them in trouble
And while yes, we may be doing a lot of warning, it's important to feel prepared so that you can set up winter break to be a fun time for everyone (or at least to have pockets of fun moments!)
Tip 8: Option to Opt Out
Hey, friends! Do you and your kids have a million things to do? Well, as a head's up - you always have the option to opt out. ALWAYS. Even if your mom says you have to be there. Even if you've never missed a single year of the nutcracker performance. You get to take stock and decide when and if you just want to be at home. It's so much more important to meet your family's emotional needs than to do ALL THE THINGS.
Now, a couple of caveats: are you opting out of lot of stuff? Is it hard to be motivated to get everything done? We want to make sure that we're keeping an eye on any seasonal affective disorder or depression. You can always reach out to a therapist if this is feeling like a hard habit to break. But, otherwise, on occasion, feel free to decide: yes we want to do this thing or actually, no we don't!
Tip 9: Let It Go
Hey, parents? You get to choose your battles. Which means that sometimes, you choose not to do battle. You know what's great about letting something go? You still get to be in charge.
When faced with a problem, we want to teach our kids and teens to evaluate if it's really a big deal. And even if it is a big deal, you still get to decide: do I want to work this out, or do I want to just let it go? Letting it go doesn't mean holding a grudge, or holding it against someone later. It really and truly means that you're moving past it.
Try it out over winter break (we're sure you'll have several opportunities to do so with your kids, your in-laws, or the holiday lines at the grocery store!) See how much more power you feel when you decide to just let something go. It's huge.
These are 12 Tips for Winter Break, but Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is here year round! Set up a free phone consult on our website to talk more about what’s going on and if counseling is the best next step. We work with anxious and angry kids, teens, and college students through Clayton, Ladue, Creve Couer, and all surrounding areas. We work with age 4 on up.