As the holiday season approaches, parents who are going through their first year after a divorce might find that they are facing some new challenges. You might notice that your children don’t seem like they are handling things well all of a sudden. The impending holidays that are clustered together might be the cause of this. Some kids might not know what to expect now that their parents aren’t together any longer.
While it is true that children are resilient, some of them might be worried about where they will spend Christmas Eve night. Younger kids might wonder if Santa will know which house to visit. As a parent, your job right now is to help them realize that the adjustments they have made will continue through the holiday season.
We know that you might be struggling yourself with your first winter holiday season as a single person. You and your children can work through this together. You might consider starting some new traditions that you can all look forward to. These don’t have to be extravagant. Instead, it can be something as simple as having hot chocolate and watching holiday movies.
One area that might cause some strife for children is the schedule they will follow. Many times, the holidays have unique parenting time schedules that are much different from other parts of the year. Letting them know ahead of time what’s going to happen might help them to feel more secure. You should be able to turn to your custody agreement for an idea of how these special days will be handled from one year to the next.