Teenagers at Christmas

[brandylegs]

I miss having little kids on Christmas Eve and the anticipation of Santa visiting.

I also miss the excitement of Christmas morning.

My teenagers all went off to bed pretty early and said they'd get up around 11am in time for our visitors!

I felt sad!

Really struggling here with our neurodivergent DD14. Already had a shouting match over a lost gift voucher ffs! It’s like being on a rollercoaster. All fine then boom & the mood completely changes in a split second. I got so mad I wasn’t making any sense! On the wine! I never get like it with anyone except DD - she’s adopted but we’re very similar & so we clash. I could cry when I remember sprinkling magic dust on the front steps to guide the reindeer & putting something out for Santa 😢

My little one is 14 months, and this will be controversial, but honestly I can't wait for lazy Christmas mornings when she is older 😬😬

They appeared just before 9am, absolute bliss 😁

This. And then tiny grandchildren arrive and you can share the joy all over again. It's brilliant.

@SunshineLollipopsAndRainbows there’s a coping with Christmas thread over on the adoption board - you’ll find your people there! Christmas with adopted kids can be very challenging.

I have an anorexic teen dd who barely acknowledges us and we can't have any friends or family over. Dh and I are desperately trying to keep it together and our only Christmas wish is that she eats and feeds her starving brain. How I wish she was just sleeping late and being a bit unsociable.

My teens were up at 8 bouncing about excited to open stockings on my bed I feel really lucky!

Had my ‘sad’ year last year when my 12yo (youngest) didn’t want to do the reindeer food, mince pie and milk etc for Santa or listen to
’Night before Xmas’ book. All things I’ve done for over 20yrs as my eldest is 24. Was very strange that year. This year I felt better about it but my nearly 17yo did the Santa plate this year as she misses doing it lol.

I’m still in bed at 9.30am which is lovely but do miss the whispers outside my bedroom at 5am as they debate who will wake me up and the rattle and noise of silly stocking fillers.

Yes.
Santa changed tweaked the rules this year.
He leaves their sacks in my bedroom.to be given after walk dinner where they help and kind behaviour. At the end of the day.
Bollix to me being the slave and feeling miserable.

My twins turned 11 last week and I think this is probably the last year for Santa Magic.

That sounds extremely difficult. I am so sorry.

My adult 26 year old son still gets excited and likes to wrap presents up and have a tree which he put up. He is full time working and had asd.

I'm with you.

Enjoyable but very stressful when they were little, sadness when I thought about them not believing ( though we all still play along - in fact at one time I was sure the kids new there was no Santa - but thought I ‘believed’ and didn't want to spoil if for me!) and then relief.

In fact, even better, this year they all wanted to be elsewhere, with partners, friends...which is why I'm tucked up in a luxury hotel, with DH in a Christmassy European city! Heaven.

@BagpussSaggyOldClothCat sending huge hugs and positive vibes.

I sometimes miss the childhood magic but mine at 19 and 22 still love to do things like open stockings on my bed and watch movies with me on Christmas eve (so great to be watching Die Hard rather than Elf though!) They still somehow get into that childhood spirit and I love having them around with all their young energy and craziness. DD is up prepping Christmas dinner and ds isin his room wrapping presents 😂

So sorry Bagpuss that sounds horribly tough.

My teens have been absolutely lovely - waiting for us to open their stockings by 8.30 am lots of lovely chat and helpful. To those with toddlers it’s not necessarily doom ahead!

Oh it's just different - now we can stay up late playing silly games and sharing a bottle of wine. And they buy us presents too! I love this stage too.