Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving and offering a few helpful tips for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Bring a Bag:
Whether near or far bringing a bag, a backpack, a basket, or a box filled with the fun and familiar things that your child likes to do can really help. Things like puzzles, books, stickers and coloring books, iPads and other digital devices, and sensory fidgets can all provide hours of entertainment and help with regulation. And for added fun, consider packing a few new items that could be given as surprise gifts to be unwrapped along the way.
Make a Schedule:
No matter the type (picture, list, digital app, etc) schedules are really helpful for letting our kids, teens, and adults know what is next and what is expected, helping them to feel more secure and more regulated when out of routine for the holidays.
Create a Space:
Create a space anywhere you go for your child and for you to take a break and catch your breath. Take a moment in a quiet room, go for a drive in the car, walk around the neighborhood. Whatever it takes to take a moment to yourselves when all else may be swirling around you and your child. It’s important to take those moments to help keep the overwhelm at bay and to regulate again when you can’t.
Make a Plan:
Make a plan for if and when things go a little or allot sideways. Who will do what to help and where will you go if and when a situation of overwhelm occurs. Having a plan and the people in place can help bring our anxiety down as caregivers so that we can more fully enjoy the moments we have to celebrate.
Give Yourself Grace:
Lastly and really before anything else give yourself grace. You don’t have to be perfect and things don’t have to go perfect. This special needs life can be hard enough without putting that kind of added pressure on ourselves. If something goes sideways or if relatives don’t understand, just take a deep breath and know that our community gets it and stands beside you every step of the way. And most of all God is with you every step of the way.
God bless you all and may you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
2 Responses
I generally think of our boy as a who-cares-about-routine kid, but thank you for these tips to help his body/mind get regulated in the festivities ahead. I like the idea of a schedule for him and then taking a walk or drive, ideally with a friend/family member we haven’t seen in awhile, for intentional conversation with them and time away for him.
Love that! Thanks for sharing Lori!