Get active on your summer holiday
Summer is the time of year we all yearn for. The sun brings longer, hotter days, winter coats are a distant memory, acres of pale skin are uncovered, at home the barbecue is wheeled out, and in fact everything just looks better in the sunshine.
But if your summer involves sweating on a packed commuter train and waiting eagerly for the weekend only to find the promised sunny weather is replaced by more wet, grey and drizzly days, then you will be counting the days to your summer holiday.
Discuss rules in advance
Differences of opinion about how to gather safely may be a huge source of stress this holiday season. Safety measures for any kind of holiday gathering should be discussed clearly and decided in advance, advises Colin de Miranda, ASW, a social worker at the Child Mind Institute. “You need clear communication, maybe with everybody getting on a call beforehand and laying out who’s comfortable with what,” de Miranda says.
Stay the course
And what do you do when a guest who has agreed to a socially distanced visit comes in for the hug anyway? Time to refer to those ground rules. “You can say, ‘Remember, we discussed this, and so as much as I want to hug you right now or as much as I want to be able to see your face without that mask on, I have to ask you to stick to the rules we set,” says Dr. Hameed. It can also be helpful give kids a script to use if someone isn’t respecting the rules: “My mom says I’m not allowed to give you a hug this year but we can wave!”
- Start new traditions
- Give kids a voice
- Let kids express disappointment
- Don’t wait to make plans
Differences of opinion about how to gather safely may be a huge source of stress this holiday season. Safety measures for any kind of holiday gathering should be discussed clearly and decided in advance, advises Colin de Miranda, ASW, a social worker at the Child Mind Institute. “You need clear communication, maybe with everybody getting on a call beforehand and laying out who’s comfortable with what,” de Miranda says.