Navigating the Holidays

The holiday season can be a joyful yet emotionally complex time for adoptive and foster families. Holidays can be overwhelming for anyone, but particularly children that have experienced trauma. Children may experience mixed feelings about family gatherings, traditions, or memories connected to their birth families.

During the holiday season, it’s common to see more tantrums, sadness, and anxiety. Changes in routine and diet, overstimulation, large gatherings, distracted caregivers, the excitement and eventual letdown of the holidays, and memories of birth family can all stir up big emotions for children. Understanding these emotional reactions as expressions of stress, grief, or sadness helps parents respond with empathy and connection.

Parents can help by keeping routines predictable, validating children’s feelings, blending traditions or creating new rituals. Acknowledging both the joy and the challenges of the season helps children feel seen and supported. Simple gestures like talking openly about feelings, setting realistic expectations, and creating space for quiet moments can make the holidays more meaningful for everyone.

https://blog.adoptuskids.org/providing-comfort-and-joy-during-a-season-of-emotional-ambivalence/