'Mom guilt' grows during holidays, especially in the pandemic

With the holidays quickly approaching, many parents are feeling pressure to make this time of year feel special for kids in the middle of a pandemic. 

Moms, specifically, are feeling guilty things will look different. 

Here are some tips from an expert on ways you can reimagine the holidays with the family.

“Moms are really thinking about how sort of worried they are about having perfect holidays this year.” 

It's typically the most wonderful time of year — but 2020 is adding some stress to parents, specifically moms. 

"I think that moms tend to take on a lot of the responsibility in sort of thinking about the holidays in general and now layer on top of that we’re in the middle of a pandemic still.” 

Amanda Zelechoski, the co-founder of Pandemic Parenting, says research shows moms have a higher prevalence of feeling guilty when it comes to kids.

But she reminds parents, the pandemic is out of our control. 

“Trying to hold yourself to the same expectations that you usually have and trying to do the holidays in the way you usually do is just going to lead to disappointment," she said.

Zelechoski says to make the holidays less about materialistic things, and remember what the time of year is about. 

"It’s about connection and making people feel loved and appreciated and connected and that’s something I think we need this year more than ever," she said.

When talking to your kiddos, Zelechoski says this year can be about making new traditions, and kids might be okay with the changes, or bring your attention to something they're missing this year. 

“The more we can sort of empower them and introduce new traditions and say 'what do you think we can do this year to make this part really special?'" she said.

And if there's one thing the holidays remind us of, it's that there's always hope. 

For additional resources, including a webinar on how to make the holidays special — CLICK HERE.