When you have a child with a disability or other medical complexity, the holidays can feel like a minefield, as trauma triggers, anxiety, and grief for what we wish the holidays could have been for our families lurk around every corner.
And on top of that, having to manage schedules, special diets, gift expectations, and uncomfortable commentary from friends and family can be emotionally and physically draining. The season often leaves parents of disabled children feeling left out, over-worked –and occasionally– like the celebrations might just be more trouble than they’re worth.
In today’s episode, Amanda Griffith-Atkins and I discuss listener feedback and contributions about how complicated the holiday season feels for parents of disabled children, suggestions for how to make the holiday season feel just a little bit more manageable, and how adjusting our expectations has made a big difference for each of our families.
Links:
Listen to Amanda’s previous episodes: Ep 81: Health Anxiety, Ep 85: On the “Disability Parent” Identity, & Ep: 99: Family Planning.
Listen to Ep 20: Anticipatory Grief with Katie Peterson.
Check out Ep 104: How to Support Parents of Disabled Children.
Thank you to our listeners who sent in recordings: Heather, Maddison, and Lysa!
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Access the transcript on the website here.
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