Okay, Mom, we know you’re stressing out right now. Your kids are doing their quarter-end projects, performances and field trips. You’ve got presents to buy and wrap, extended family to tend to, decorations to set out, cards to write, vacations to plan…the list goes on.
Phew! Let’s take a collective breath. There’s a temptation, when the To-Do List is three pages long, to just lower our heads and power through. Let’s not. Let’s take just a few minutes to think and plan. Here’s one agenda for this Meeting with Self.
1. Which tasks can be delegated or deleted? If you’re stressing yourself out with tasks you’re only doing because you’d feel guilty if you didn’t…delete them. I like this affirmation for whenever the “I need to create a magical holiday for my kids” thought shows up. Replace with this one: “A calm and happy mom is the most important gift I can give my children this holiday.” This is absolutely true. Kids love home-baked cookies, but they would trade them for store-bought by a joyful mom!
2. How can you create meaning for YOU and for your kids? Here are a few ideas:
a. Donate! Your kids are going to need to create some room for the new toys they will get this season, so it’s time to donate the ones they don’t care about so that other kids can enjoy them. Learning to let go of objects is a huge lesson for kids. Oh, and that task of cleaning their rooms before grandma comes will be a whole lot easier with less clutter!
b. Give! Have fun with a trip to Target so your kids can pick out a new toy for the Toys for Tots program or for an adopted family.
c. Be Kind! Here’s a lovely game: everyone in the family agrees to do something kind for another member of the family every day. The idea is to keep these acts of kindness a secret. Keep track though! Everyone gets a notebook for kindnesses they do and kindnesses they receive. Then, on a special night, all get to guess which person did which kindness. And to be grateful!
d. Relax and play! Make choices on activities based on how calming they will be for everyone, including you. Just because you’ve done something “every year” doesn’t mean you have to do it this year. Start some new traditions with walks in the woods, potlucks where everything has to be bought at the store and served on paper places, family “dance-alongs” where each member gets to pick a song that the others dance to, etc. What brings you joy? Do that!
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