Holiday cheer is all around! No matter where you are, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Shopping, decorations, cookie & ornament exchanges, holiday parties, family, travel arrangements, presents, Christmas trees, and the list goes on and on. I almost overwhelmed myself just writing that sentence and that list is not all inclusive by any means! So, I can only imagine how some of you must feel juggling it all. I want to encourage you to continue the implementation of the 3 C’s of Parenting: Communication, Cooperation, & Care. Your consciousness concerning them will be helpful during this time to help ease the stress and frustration that the holidays sometimes bring.
Communicate your needs and listen to those of your child to diffuse and reduce tension. This goes beyond your parent-child relationship and applies to all of your relationships. The holidays can be a joyous time by choosing to celebrate the loved ones you have, both far and near. If you’ve lost a loved one, I encourage you to communicate and share the memories and find peace. Communication will serve you well during this holiday season.
Cooperation can be exercised through working together on decorating, shopping, preparing for guests, and any other activities that you can do with your children. Making decisions together can promote harmony and unity amongst the family. This will help contribute to an increasingly joyous holiday season. Especially considering all of the out of school time they’ll have.
Care can be demonstrated by ensuring you are protecting your child from hurt, harm, and danger. Sometimes during the holidays we are less involved, especially since schools out. Or our children are exposed to concepts, ideas, or people (some are family members) whom are much different than the values, beliefs, and what we teach. We have to be careful that we are monitoring our child’s activities on the internet, social media, and television programs. These outlets can influence your child greatly and change their behaviors in a short period of time. I encourage you be mindful of these influences and be present to exercise a level of care to ensure you remain your child’s greatest influence. You have enough to deal with considering all of the outside forces that try to infiltrate and negatively influence your child. Exercise care when exposing your children to things that you cannot control and be prepared to have a discussion about them so your child understands and can discern the difference between right and wrong as they grow and develop.
Capitalize on the out of school time this holiday season by being with your child, taking advantage of the teaching moments, demonstrating what you expect from them, and being mutually accountable. While I’m sure you’d love to take a parenting break, that’s never really an option. Enjoy your time while remembering your parenting responsibility to love, teach, develop, encourage, discipline, etc., etc., etc.
CHALLENGE: Parents I encourage you to talk to your child about the holidays and upcoming festivities that you all will be participating in. Having this discussion can help you ease any concerns they may have about any of the aforementioned topics. I look forward to your feedback!
Dr. Shameika Moment Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership
I am an educator, parent advisor, tutor, business owner, and aspiring author. I have taught students in K-12, inside the classroom and in the community from general education to social skills development. I have a passion for helping parents connect with, learn from, and support their children’s academic success and learning. This blog is one of many ventures to provide support for parents as they navigate the course of raising children as a daily responsibility.
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