Parenting 101
How to survive the holidays as a divorced parent: 5 tips that will help remove the bitter
While December festivities are meant to rouse feelings of glee and merriment, the polar opposite can be true for families that have experienced any type of loss. Social gatherings can turn from being joyful occasions to reminders of what or who is missing around the dinner table.
Divorced parents know this all too well as navigating family affairs can be stressful on both adults and children. But don't fret: Help is on the way.
"Be the grown up. Don't let on to your children that you're anxious about being alone."
In this short Houston's Voice video, board certified divorce attorney Cindy Diggs of Holmes, Diggs & Eames offers simple lifestyle tips on how to best handle holiday stress. Among Diggs' suggestions is to start new traditions if old habits conflict with the other parent's schedule or if they become too expensive for a single spouse.
"Be the grown up," Diggs says. "Don't let on to your children that you're anxious about being alone so that your children won't worry about you. They have enough to worry about as it is."
Above all, Diggs says to give time over money. Quality time, not pricey gifts, is what will render an occasion memorable.
Watch the video above (or click here) to learn more survival skills so that you and your loved ones make the best of the gift-giving season.
Editor's note: Hidden Houston, an interactive multimedia series, aims to reveal the many things that are unique about the Bayou City and its surrounding areas.