Managing Holiday Madness

Sanity Strategies for Parents

By Mark Stackpole

Many families look forward to the holidays all year, though parents also know that there can be a price to pay for all of that good cheer. Infants and toddlers may not yet understand what all of the excitement is about starting in November, but they do know that their lives are suddenly very different the house is crowded with unfamiliar faces, the usually reliable bed times are out of whack and there may be a few more sweets lying around.

And what if a family decides to travel or host more family? That adds an extra layer of stress for everybody, no matter how old they are. If parents are not careful, there might not be enough goodwill to go around.

Kim Holmes of Huntsville, Ala., has an 11-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. As the working mother of two, preparation for the holiday season is especially complicated and exhausting.

"It's not just shopping it's also making time to get family portraits, addressing [holiday] cards, decorating, baking and attending all of the functions you're invited to,"Holmes says. "Life is hectic enough; add in all of the extra things that happen around the holidays, and I get overwhelmed and begin to consider outsourcing my shopping," she says.

While the message is often obscured by all of the hoopla, the most important part of the holiday season is an opportunity to visit and celebrate with family, friends and loved ones. For families with infants and toddlers, the pressure to visit relatives is especially strong.

"Babies quickly become 'kids,' and nobody wants to miss out on the baby/toddler stage," Holmes says. "This is why it is such a priority for us to find ways to see everyone."

Of course, this is not always possible, and some members of the family are bound to be disappointed if the holiday schedule does not include them. "It is hard, and you never want to tell your mother that she won't get to see her grandkids this holiday season ... because we all know that our parents don't really care about seeing us anymore, do they?" Holmes says.

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