After the holidays...

This morning the brutal reality of school, work, alarm clocks, making lunches and rushing to be on time kicked in. I love the Christmas holiday so much. It is long enough to really enjoy it, without feeling rushed to make the most of it and short enough to make it fly by like crazy.

It’s the holiday that gives an excuse to sleep in, because the sun rises late, to watch a little bit more TV than normal, because there are so many good shows and movies on, to stay in pj’s longer than usually in the morning because it is cold outside and it is so cozy inside with the tree and the pretty lights. It is the holiday that gives so much opportunity to eat delicious food, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. So many moments that call for an extra treat or snack. It is the holiday when magically gifts appear underneath a festive decorated tree, the holiday family and friends come over and they are all in a good mood. The holiday that makes going out for dinner, lunch, the movies or the theatre so much more festive than usual.

And then comes January. The tree will be taken down, the pretty lights will be put away, no more gifts, toys, sleeping in, family dropping by, special snacks, lunches or dinners, movies on TV. The holiday is ending, which means back to routine, back to school, back to work. Most adults and parents welcome this time. It’s nice to be back in routine, to watch your weight a bit, eat healthy, to make plans for the year to come, exercise and generally be in charge of time again.

However, if you look at it from a child’s perspective, it’s no wonder they were sad this morning, maybe even a bit reluctant about going to school, feeling tired and worn down. No wonder they were telling you “I don’t want to go to school today..”, “I don’t feel well today”. It’s hard to accept that those magical days are over. Acknowledging this is sometimes all it takes.

Acknowledging feelings is the first important building block of “How to talk so kids will listen” and sometimes it is as easy and simple as giving words to the feeling.

Enjoy being back in routine and I wish you all the best for 2020!