Marian Quinn, CEO, Childhood Development Initiative and Grainne Smith (former CDI staff member)
Gift your child your full attention
Christmas is a time for children, I think we can all agree on that.
Santa checking his list, sleepy children listening for the reindeer; Christmas crackers and silly hats; watching reruns of ‘Home Alone’ and overeating; placing the star on the top of the festive tree and pretending not to check out the parcels beneath it.
These are all part of the twinkly picture that makes Christmas such a wondrous time for children, and in turn, so full of joy for those of us observing them.
It can be a stressful time for families too. Financial pressure, wanting to give our children what they want, the normality of excessive alcohol, and even the unusual amount of time spent with wider family members, can all contribute to stress, tension and potentially unsafe scenarios.
The memories which children cherish are rarely about what was under the tree but are much more likely to focus on quality time with their loved ones.
As Maya Angelou said, ‘They’ll forget what you said, they’ll forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel’.
Christmas is a time to get out the board games or deck of cards; to play charades and get to the park to kick a ball; leave the phone aside and gift your child your full-on attention.
They won’t forget it.
