Taking care of children during the busy holiday season can be especially stressful. Caregivers are managing little people\u2019s big feelings; parents\u2019 anxieties; the hustle and bustle of gift shopping, cooking, decorating, and holiday gatherings; and their own families and finances as well. Veteran providers know that the best way to manage holiday stress is to be mindful and intentional about caring for yourself, as well as the children. This season (and all through the year), here are a few self-care gifts that keep on giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Treat Yourself to Small Comforts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucy Hinojosa takes care of her own children (7 and 3), as well as kids of neighbors and her church community. When things get really stressful, she advises, \u201cListen to your body; it will tell you what you need.\u201d Taking an afternoon off to go to the gym, go for a swim, or just have some \u201cme time\u201d helps her prioritize and organize all the other tasks she feels responsible for. \u201cIt\u2019s important to remember that you don\u2019t have to be perfect,\u201d she says. \u201cYou are already doing enough, and making time to have fun with your own family will also build your energy for caregiving.\u201d Recently, she and her daughter took a cooking class together and then made cookies to sell at a local Christmas fair. \u201cIt was a really special memory that we can do again as a family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n New Jersey provider Azizah Arline affirms that small comforts like these have a big impact on a provider\u2019s mental health. \u201cI like to get my nails done and get my hair done. I like a good massage. I know that when I feel good and I like what I see, then I share that with other people too.\u201d Azizah emphasizes the importance of projecting positivity to others who are also feeling the stress of the season. When her water heater broke down recently, she called a plumber and went on with the work day. \u201cThat kind of day-to-day trouble can really get to you,\u201d she says, \u201cbut you have to let it go and be grateful for the trouble you don\u2019t have. I look at the big picture. I\u2019ve got a thriving business, I\u2019ve got my health, and I\u2019m going to pass on this positive energy to the children and my families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow Healthy Routines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Going to the gym or getting a massage doesn\u2019t need to be a one-off event. Honor Respectful Boundaries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as self-care routines strengthen your body to withstand unexpected stress, honoring boundaries that show respect for yourself and others relieves the stress that holiday obligations and excess can bring. Susan Randolph has been taking care of children for decades in her Arizona home and notes that the unpredictability of cash flow in the child care industry can be a real challenge for providers, especially during the holidays. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s really an act of self-care to honor the contract that you\u2019ve made with families and hold them to the time boundaries and payment rules that they\u2019ve agreed to.\u201d For example, Susan recently cut back her hours from 10-hour days to eight, and from five days a week to four. \u201cFridays are for me now,\u201d she says. I can go to the doctor, I can read a book, I can finish my degree in Early Childhood Education. Those are things that make me better, and then I\u2019m better for my family and for the families I serve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susan celebrates Kwanzaa with her family and in her child care. \u201cKwanzaa is about giving to others and being a responsible member of your own community. Everybody helps and everybody is served. Firm boundaries help us to meet those responsibilities in ways that respect everyone\u2019s needs,\u201d she says. \u201cChild care providers spend a lot of time creating fair policies. Now we have to respect ourselves and follow them and insist that families follow them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever your stresses are this season, listen to the wise women of home-based child care. Get a massage, go for a long walk, and give yourself permission to say no. Taking care of yourself is the best gift you can give to your loved ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Home-based child care providers share how they rest and care for themselves during the often busy and demanding holiday season.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":2,"featured_media":3705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"resource-categories":[53,52,66],"class_list":["post-3704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","resource-categories-family-child-care-fcc","resource-categories-family-friend-and-neighbor-ffn","resource-categories-provider-well-being"],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3704"},{"taxonomy":"resource-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homegrownchildcare.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-categories?post=3704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cMaking time for your own health and wellness means establishing routines, just like the routines we establish for children. They are good for us all,\u201d says Azizah. After more than 20 years of taking care of children, Azizah has established a regular walking regimen (preferably outside in nature), keeps up with her routine medical appointments (mammograms, physicals, etc.) and gets to bed early to ensure she gets a full eight hours of sleep. \u201cWhen I get up every morning, I have about 20 jobs to do, but I feel rested. I feel strong. I\u2019m able to take on the stresses of work and the world. Getting the proper amount of sleep is probably the best thing you can do for your brain and your body\u2014the only body you\u2019re ever going to have in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n