"that" time of year

No matter what holiday you celebrate, this can be a trying time of year - but especially for young children who have no real idea about what is going on.

Thinking back to the Halloween post, what do young children really think when they see a santa on nearly every corner? And what of the parent/friend/stranger who "plays" santa? Is that as confusing and perhaps scary as putting on a Halloween costume?

I can't know what your child thinks, but to err on the side of caution, assume it's all a very confusing set of images for a young child.

And then we have the stress factor....from Thanksgiving thru early January most people are not at their best. Even if we are not out shopping for gifts we do need food and other stuff and also off to work - and so we are in traffic, line and around fraying tempers.

I'm not sure what the solution is for you but I had and have my own for me.....and that's what all need to do - find something that works for you and your family so that the stress is not an additional factor for the young child or children...

Peace

Halloween

I was reminded the other day about young children and Halloween. They do not like the costumes. Why? Because for young children the line between fantasy and reality is not a clear line. Remember that for children, seeing IS believing, so you can start to think about what goes on in the child's mind on Halloween with all it's costumes.

Maybe it goes like this: "If I put on a mouse costume then I AM a mouse. " [Then I'm not John anymore and that's scary.]

Children get upset when parents put on eyeglasses or change hair styles. "Maybe you are NOT my parent - but some other person."

So Halloween is not a fun thing until you are old enough to know about object constancy....until then, changing visions may mean the object has really changed.