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Happy Holidays Everyone!! Certainly, one of our shared blessings is OUR CHILDREN!! Their faces in awe of this beautiful season; twinkle in their eyes as they see the first snowfall, playing in the snow.
There are many new issues which make winter in Indiana unsafe. It is hunting season, so our Gun Safety talks must continue. Have these talks often. Remind kids to tell you or another adult if they ever see an unsecure gun. Ask your family and the kid’s friends’ parents if they have their guns locked while your kids visit. If older youth, give them suggestions to leave the area, if they know of an unsecured gun. IE: “I have to go home, I forgot to take my medicine.” or “My Mom texted, I have to go right now.” We should always have our guns LOCKED, as well as our medicines and alcohol.
ICE can be dangerous as well. Ponds or lakes, or even swimming pools which look safe, may not be strong enough to play on.
Lastly, I recall my kids on the computer/gaming systems during the holidays. Remind them you’ll be checking the sites they’ve been on with their phone or computer. And maybe shut the entire internet down at night so no one is on the internet after you’re asleep. Ask other parents to do the same.
Having safe places for kids makes the holidays that much happier!
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The holiday season, whether we enjoy it or not, has snuck up and is firmly upon us. For many, this means immense joy based on time spent with family, entrenched and beloved traditions, as well as lofty expectations. Yet, for others, the holiday is a time to painfully navigate and endure. Regardless of where you fall on that continuum, taking steps to preserve our positive mental wellness during the holidays is a choice we all can make. Just like the emergency oxygen mask on an airplane, take care of yourself first and take steps to preserve your own mental wellness, so you are able and available to help others who depend upon you.
The article entitled “McLean’s Guide to Managing Mental Health Around the Holidays,” presents practical tips to help enhance your mental wellness, not only now, but for the year ahead. From their website, “McLean Hospital is a leader in psychiatric care, research, and education and is the largest psychiatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.” The link to this useful article containing practical tips for bolstering your mental health is here.
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Here are some tips that will help get Single/Divorced/Separated Dads through the holidays:
#1 – THE KIDS COME FIRST!
The holidays are for the kids, not you. Remember, the most important objective is that you are raising children who are going to become adults; you’re not raising children to remain children. They are only going to be little for a few years, and even though it is hard to imagine, most of their lives is going to be spent as adults. Every decision you make should be to promote your goal of raising happy, well adjusted, emotionally stable young men and women.
#2 – START SOME TRADITIONS WITH YOUR KIDS.
Start a tradition that they will look forward to year after year. It could be something really easy. It’s the little, simple things that make your kids feel special and secure.
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Family Connection Network: Holiday Celebration
The Family Connection Network (FCN) is a program specifically designed for relatives, godparents, stepparents, or any adult who has a kinship bond with a child. Kinship families are unique to our communities but unfortunately, they are often overlooked by the community. This program focuses on the needs of the caregivers and children by providing support groups, twice a month, for the families and offering a “financial boost” to remove financial barriers to caregiving.
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For our two-hour support groups, we provide a meal for the families to sit down and enjoy together, a chance to connect with other families, childcare, raffle prizes-when we can, and a presenter to speak on what is relevant in the lives of kinship families.
The month of December is also a time of year our kinship families always look forward to. This year we have joined our department’s foster care team to plan a holiday dinner, at Primos Banquet Hall, for our kinship families. There will be games, gift giveaways, a nice dinner, and a time for us to show our appreciation for our kinship families.
Also, during this busy time of year The Villages has created “Spirit of Giving” as a way for others to donate gifts to our kinship families. This month we have matched over 50 kinship families with a sponsor/donor for the holiday season in hopes of easing the holiday’s financial burden that some of our caregiver’s face. We recognize that a lot of our caregivers sacrifice so much all year round and put their needs/wants to the side, to financially support their families, so we also encouraged the caregiver to create a gift wish list for themselves so they too can feel special.
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Kids First Support of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana | |
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We thank Kids First for continuing to support our charge in ensuring that our mission to "make Indiana a better, safer place for Indiana's most precious resources - our children" is achieved. | | | |
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Help support statewide efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect by the continued use of the Kids First license plate, or when your plates are due again by purchasing the Kids First license plate. For more information, please visit their website. Funding from the Kids First plates helps us work with our Prevention Councils throughout Indiana.
If you would like to make a donation to Prevent Child Abuse Indiana directly,
Click Here
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Prevent Child Abuse Indiana
A Division of The Villages of Indiana
317-775-6500
www.pcain.org
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