NPC NEWS BULLETIN
December 17, 1999 Issue 6
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The NPC News Bulletin is brought to you by the National Parent Consortium
(NPC), a project of the National Parent Network on Disabilities. Each issue of
the NPC News Bulletin features a different theme and highlights Consortium
activities and related maternal and child health, as well as other
health-related information for families. This issue focuses on tips for parents
around the holidays.
We invite you to visit the National Parent Consortium website to learn more
about who we are and what we do at www.natlparentconsortium.org.
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From Our Hearts And Homes To Yours....
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The Staff of NPND would like to extend to each and every one of you our wish
for a holiday season filled with family, friends, love, joy, peace and hope. We
will be spending time with family and friends, but will join you again next
year!
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PLAN YOURSELF A HAPPY LITTLE HOLIDAY
The Holiday Season is full of occasions for stress, frustration, and anger,
perhaps especially for parents of children with disabilities. But we parents
deserve a Happy Holiday as much as anyone else does. How can parents, and
especially moms, have a happy holiday season and not let shopping, cleaning,
decorating, cooking, and entertaining wear you out, drive you frantic, and
spoil everything you mean to do?
Here are some tips that have helped us here at NPND:
* Holiday memories and hopes bring pent-up emotions to the surface -- don't be
afraid to share them with your children, spouse, and friends, because talking
about them can reduce pain and increase joy
* Can we create a perfect house, perfect meal, perfect gifts, and a perfect
Holiday experience? NO. And trying to make everything perfect is a recipe for
disappointment. Relax a little.
* Remember that all the decorations, gifts, and other things are for the people
in your life, including you, and not the other way around; if parents make
everybody else mad to get the house "just so", they probably won't
enjoy it much after all is said and done.
* We all know we can make our kids feel better by feeding them, but let's not
medicate ourselves with unhealthy foods, drinks, and especially not drugs --
all those too quickly lead to depression, obesity, and dependence.
* Celebrations of the holidays don't just happen; we make them happen and we
can decide to be in control of ourselves and in control of our
celebrations.
* The airlines tell us to put on our own oxygen mask before helping our kids
with theirs; let's take care of ourselves spiritually, emotionally, and
nutritionally so we can be there for ourselves and for others.
* Planning a holiday season that is a little calmer and a little smaller can
mean a happier Holiday for all, and can even make room for some pretty BIG
spiritual values to enrich our family life.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!