Parents and caregivers: How to stop feeling like a Grinch and be more present with your kids this holiday season

By Julia Felton, Assistant Professor of Public Health, Michigan State University
Crystal Cederna, Clinical Psychologist & Associate Professor of Public Health, Michigan State University

Holidays are often depicted as picture-perfect moments: families blissfully united around a table filled with seasonal food favorites against an immaculate backdrop. For many parents, attempting to meet such unrealistic expectations can undermine their self-worth – and their sanity.

In the real world, parents are juggling more activities than there are candles on the menorah after eight nights of Hanukkah. It’s all too easy to fall into survival parenting, an approach where the focus is on simply getting through the day. When those holiday cookies need baking, there’s no time to teach…

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