You may have laughed out loud when you read the title of this blog but I bet it wasn’t because the idea was out totally of the park! How many of you secretly parent a child who is otherwise perfectly well mannered until the dreaded Christmas season rears its ugly head?
“I want this!
“I better get that!”
“But you said Santa would give it to me!”
photo credit via http://702mag.com/
Sound familiar?
I don’t know what happens but many kids suffer this incredible personality change when Christmas closes in and many of us have a hard time figuring out why this occurs?
We use Santa as bait for good behavior, but even the guy in the red suit is no match for the whiles of overly excited, out of control little pills.
Perhaps the “Twinkie Defense” (or in this case the “Candy Cane Defense”) is responsible since their intake of sugar extends well past what their small bodies can manage? Or could it be the continuous visions we load their tiny minds with through holiday media of movies and books? Are characters such as Ebenezer Scrooge impacting their little minds with thoughts of selfishness, annoyance and naughty behavior?
According to specialists, the “Christmas Crank for Children” diagnosis stems from an increase of stimulation, decreased amount of sleep and an influx of in-nutritious foods. One of these off kilter may not seem like such a big deal but when you combine all three-SHAZZAM! You’ve got yourself one unhappy, inflexible hooligan of a kid.
That kind of stinks, right?
After all, this season is made merry and bright by a child’s faith in holiday magic. Their inherent ability “to believe” is what makes the whole thing fun and memorable for all of us who will do anything to see smiling faces on Christmas Day.
Is there anything we can do to prevent this negative metamorphous from occurring?
Of course there is!
While we can’t compete with the impact of Christmas Crazy, we can attempt to manage certain areas of their care, which will benefit their health (most specifically their mood) during the holidays.