Holidays are a special time for many families, but a whirlwind of visitors and activities that disrupt children’s daily lives can add unwanted stress and pressure. Try a few of these positive parenting tips to help everyone – including you – enjoy the hectic holidays.

Saying good-bye is hard for many children and parents, no matter how old they are. Developing routines for separating and reconnecting helps children learn how to handle their feelings about saying good-bye, which helps prepare them to cope with changes and transitions throughout life.

It’s been hard to read and watch the news lately. Three mass shootings within one week. Migrant children in detention camps. Families torn apart after immigration raids. With each “new” story, we feel sad, angry, and heavy with worry. We worry about the safety of our children when mass shootings occur in public places without warning. We worry about what children of undocumented immigrants must feel, not knowing if they’ll see their parents again, or living in constant fear of being separated from their families. Traumatic events like these create emotional scars that last a lifetime, long after the media has moved on to the next big story.