Research
Bah,
Humbug! How Teenagers Feel about the Christmas Holiday
According to Papa Bear Berenstain, “...Christmas is such a special time that very special, almost magical things can happen….” And according to a report on how teens feel about family and Christmas holiday tradition, your teenagers couldn’t agree more
It’s
hard being a kid. The pressures they face from teachers, school counselors, college recruiters, sports coaches, teammates and friends is enough to make even the most grounded teenager a bit grumpy and obnoxious at times. So while your teenager doesn’t write his/ her letter to Santa anymore and doesn’t have any trouble falling asleep on Christmas Eve, that doesn’t mean they don’t get totally psyched over family, holiday traditions, cookies and Christmas ham, candlelight services at church and yes, gifts. • Family Your teenager loves you. And if you are providing a loving, safe and caring environment for them, they want to spend time with you - especially over the holidays. Teens see the holiday festivities and break from school as a respite from books, tests, studying and pressures to succeed. They crave the nurturing environment the holidays bring and the extra attention from you they have time to soak up. • Holiday traditions Everyone wants to belong to someone and something. Holiday traditions bring a tangible element to this sense of belonging. These traditions give family roots and branches all at the
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parentingteens.com
same time. As a parent, you know how real the struggles of being a teenager are. They want to be treated like grownups… sometimes. They want to be treated like children… sometimes. We treat them like grownups… sometimes. We treat them like children...sometimes. Family holiday traditions allow your teens to reminisce, if you will, to a time of innocence and childhood. Leaving cookies and milk (soda in our house) under the tree brings back pleasant memories of waking up as a child on Christmas morning hoping Santa had enjoyed his snack. Hanging a stocking is just one of those things you do at Christmas no matter how old you are. Traditions also bridge gaps between generations. Knowing that ‘we’ve done it this way since Grandma was little’ connects your teens to Grandma. • Food The holidays are, in a significant way, about food. Christmas cookies, family meals and holiday gatherings filled with…food. This can be very stressful to teenagers. With the unavoidable facts about eating disorders, childhood obesity and healthy eating (talk about running the gamut), you need to take an attitude of enjoy-without-over-indulging when it comes to holiday food. To help, watch what you say and your attitude of holiday fare. Make sure you offer your family something to keep those sugar-overloads from disrupting attitudes, physical wellbeing and even self-confidence.