While Christmas is a joyous and exciting time for young families, it can also be a quite stressful, anxious and overwhelming time for parents who want to make it a special time of year for their kids.
This year, the cost of living crisis is putting an added strain on families, making it hard for parents perhaps to afford the quality or number of gifts to meet their kids’ expectations, something that is hard to explain to a child who is unaware of the expensive times we live in and especially for kids who are waiting for Santa to make all their wishes come true.
The Triple P- Positive Parenting program is offering some simple solutions for parents to manage their children’s expectations without worrying them about family finances.
“The festive season is a joyous time of year to spend with family and friends – but this year could be a real challenge for many parents who are watching their Christmas spending closely,” said Triple P International Country Director Carol Markie-Dadds.
“Not being able to afford everything can be stressful at the best of times, but this year we’ve got rising bills and food costs to contend with. There are simple, effective ways of communicating this with children without causing them concern.”
As a parent, Triple P advises that caring for your own needs first and taking the time to recharge your battery can make it easier to remain calm and positive during stressful times, which also then helps kids cope with uncertainty and difficult situations. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your partner, friends, family, or health professional.
be open and communicate with children. Children often pick up on feelings of stress or anxiety. They take their cues from parents, so having proactive, honest, and positive conversations that are sensitive to their needs, can help them build resilience and understand why all families, not just your own, are paying more attention to their finances this year. Support children’s wellbeing by using positive language that emphasises the great things that the season holds instead of lingering on the negatives. Parents and carers can talk about how ‘excited’ they are for the holidays, the ‘fun’ games and experiences they have planned, and how much they’re looking forward to spending quality family time together.
Ask children to list one or two presents that would be special on top of their ‘must have’ wishes – and within a set price range! This helps manage expectations and makes it more likely the presents will be appreciated and used. This reinforces a message about quality, not quantity which can be a valuable life lesson. There are often alternative versions of big-ticket items which cost a little less or look out for sales and vouchers to take some pressure off. This is also a great opportunity to talk to children and young people about the value of money, and healthy saving habits like putting money aside for bigger items – it’s never too early for children to start saving pocket money to build towards a treat.
Get creative with gift-giving and make handmade or upcycled gifts, a low-cost way to buy for the wider family but is also a great way to involve children by turning it into a creative activity. Focusing on the effort and thought your child puts into the gifts will truly be appreciated by the recipient and gives them a sense of what the spirit of giving means.
Begin a new free or low cost family tradition such as driving by some local homes famous for their Christmas lights or taking the kids carolling. Children can have lots of fun with their family traditions as well as add new ones! Make a day of tree decorating, have a festive baking session, and be sure to share the results with friends and family.
Most importantly, spending quality time with family can be completely free, so make the most of the holiday period together.
