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Spirit of the Season
Teaching Children to Give of Themselves By Gina Roberts-Grey, LCSW
Many families wince at the official start of the holiday season. In addition to the routine you typically follow during the year, you now go in search of the perfect gift for loved ones and bake dozens of cookies. How do your children perceive this busy time of year? While you rush through tasks that are supposed to be enjoyable and provide your family a memorable holiday experience, what do your children learn about the spirit of the season?
Perhaps your children wish they had more time to spend enjoying the holidays with you. Or they might want to participate in the hustle and bustle of preparing for the holidays. Most children appreciate the chance to be thoughtful, generous and compassionate. What if this year you could help your child give the people on his list presents that didn't cost a cent?
But parents feeling overwrought from the burden of trying to create the ideal holiday atmosphere can forget that random and genuine acts of kindness are powerful lessons to teach their children. Dr. Vicki Peterson is a pediatrician and mother of two active young boys in Chicago, Ill. She believes that focusing on the meaning of the season has potential health benefits.
"Children who feel good about their holiday self image and behavior increase their self-esteem and have less of a chance of experiencing depression during the holidays," says Dr. Peterson. She strongly emphasizes that children who have experienced significant life changes such as divorce, relocation or the death of a family member profit two-fold from being a proactive and positive part of the season.