I had a meeting with a parent a few days ago at about 10pm at night, we had to reschedule the meeting because the children were all over her which in turn affected her attention. I was curious to know why the children of less than 6 -years- old were up by that time of the night and she replied ‘’ you know they’re on holiday and it is Christmas season too’’. This is the thing; we tend to forget as parents that Christmas break is no different from every other day. You let your child do whatever they want because they’re on Christmas break, you leave them on screen for hours, they eat whatever and whenever they want, they go to bed whenever they want.
Dear intentional parents, this break is supposed to be a time for you to take a look at the structure/routine you have in your home, see where you’re not meeting up, use this break as an opportunity to fix it instead of running a structureless home because your child will strive in a home where there’s structure and routine put into place.
Also, consider social media influence this period. There’s so much pressure out there all in the name of showing off, most of the time, reality is far from what you see out there, most parents will only show you their best, which may not be who they are in the real world. There are still some sets of parents who after viewing their friends / families page or status, will become moody or their adrenaline will just go up just because they feel they’re not meeting up to standard and as a result, a split of water on the floor will lead to merciless beating of their child. The truth is their anger and frustration came from social medial, the water split on the floor was a trigger. Unhealthy competition is real and if you find yourself in this category, please, stay off social media, focus on you and your family, that time spent on social media is enough to connect with your child(ren) Give yourself the gift of peace of mind.
What plan do you have for your children’s break, are you just leaving it as however it comes? I encourage you parents to plan their day-to-day activities, plan what they need to do per-time. Every aspect of parenting is essential. Plan your shopping, make a budget, plan your money, avoid gifts if you can’t afford it. Uncles, aunties, friends will understand. Avoid over spending that will lead you to shouting, smacking, whining at your child. Leave within your means. Again, remember parenting is first about you before your child.
Another thing you should consider during this break is connecting with your child the more, there’s no amount of time spent with your child that will ever be too much, Your child will measure your love for her with the amount of quality time spent together, you can’t be too busy with Christmas festivity at the detriment of your child(ren), the Christmas break is a great opportunity for you to connect with your child irrespective of their ages, let them experience joy through singing, dancing, reading together, laughing, smiling etc give them the gift of a happy home that entails peace and calmness, not the other way round.
Lastly, enjoy every minute spent with your child. By all means avoid looking for where or who will help you look after your child because you feel you can’t manage their behaviour. See every behavior your child exhibits as an opportunity to teach them better ways to behave. Your child is not the behavior he exhibits, see him as a separate being from his behavior and love him unconditionally whether he meets your expected behavior or not. Remember there’s a reason God gave him to you. He knows you have what it takes to raise him. so, make your Christmas fun and enjoyable for him. Remember, if it is not fun, your child isn’t interested and give him the gift of childhood memories through the Christmas break.
