6 Things Children of Divorce Want From Their Parents This Holiday Season

Dear Mom and Dad,

We know this divorce stuff isn’t easy and that you’re doing the best you can. When the holidays hit, life gets a little stressful for us. Here are a couple of things we’d like you to keep in mind this holiday season that would really help us out.

Thank you.
With love, your kids

STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT FAIR
Please remember while we want to spend time with both of you this holiday season, it doesn’t mean you have to split us down the middle.

What feels “fair” to you doesn’t always feel so great for us. Instead of dividing our time with each of you down to the minute, it would really help if you could be flexible.

If we’re at a celebration with the other parent, it would mean a lot if you didn’t make us leave early because it’s “your time.“

DON’T HOG THE HOLIDAYS
We get that you love us and want the holidays to be special.

Please don’t compete with each other over who can give us the “best” holiday or the “coolest” gifts.   We know more than you think, and when you try to outdo each other, it feels like you’re trying to buy our love.

We’d appreciate it if you would give each other the chance to surprise us or take turns buying us “the one” gift we really want. It would even be okay for you to give us joint gifts.

When we’re not with you, help us to feel good about having a special time at our other home.

GIVE GIFTS WITHOUT STRINGS
Getting presents is cool but not if they come with lots of conditions. If you buy me a really nice present and then tell me it can never leave your house, it doesn’t really feel like a gift.

Before you buy me something, make sure you’re okay with me choosing where my gift lives. If you’re uncomfortable with it going to the other house, please don’t buy it.

WALK YOUR TALK
It’s really confusing when I hear you say how important it is to be kind to others this holiday season, but I don’t see you treating each other with the same respect.

I know you may not always feel like doing something nice for the other parent. You might even think they don’t deserve it. This holiday, I hope you realize that’s not the way I feel.

Showing up at the other parent’s house empty-handed makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable. It also doesn’t help if you send me with a present for the other parent and ignore the fact that I have a stepparent.

Please help me do something nice for my other parent and other important people in my life. Even if money is tight, we could make a homemade card or bake a special dessert together.

By the way, if you do help me do something for the other parent and they don’t return the favor, please know I will be proud of you for being the bigger person.

SPEND TIME WITH ME
It’s a lot of fun going places and doing things, but being entertained all the time wears me out. I’m okay with spending the day in our pajamas and making pancakes, watching movies, reading a book together, playing games, shooting hoops, baking cookies, or driving around to look at Christmas lights.

Even though I might not say it, what I really want more than anything is your time and attention.

WORK IT OUT WITHOUT ME
I appreciate it when you take the time to listen to my ideas about the holidays, but please don’t ask me to make decisions about how I spend time with each of you.

I love you both and don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. It’s stressful trying to figure out how to keep everyone happy, and it makes me dread the holidays.  Realize even when I get older, being asked to choose still feels uncomfortable.

It would really help if the two of you could work things out on your own.

P.S.  It’s okay to be creative. Celebrations don’t have to happen on the same day every year. As long as you keep me in the loop, I’m okay with changing things up once in a while. It’s not the date on the calendar that makes a day with you special. It’s how we spend the time we have together.

Wishing you and yours a very special holiday season.