If you secretly hate parts of the festive season, this one is for you.Honestly. I think we need to say that out loud more often.

Every December I hear from parents wondering if they’re the only ones struggling while everyone else seems to glide through it all effortlessly. And we need to hear: it’s not just you. I get overwhelmed at this time of year too, and so do children. The pressure, the expectations, the forced cheerfulness - it can all feel like a lot.

There’s the glossy surface we see on social media, and then there’s the private reality of families quietly dreading certain moments. One mother once told me she felt like she was “trapped inside a snow globe that someone kept shaking.” And I thought: yes. That is exactly what it can feel like.

So in this week’s Parent Pause, I talk about how we don’t have to love all of it to enjoy some of it, and how pretending usually makes things worse. I share the three small things that help me survive the bits I secretly can’t stand: choosing one thing I genuinely love and making more room for it, lowering the bar on everything else, and giving myself permission to feel exactly how I feel.

You’re allowed to be human, even in December. Especially in December.

Thank you for pausing with me. Take care.

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