#TEENTALK: A Broken Families Christmas

JustSoChristmas Day 9

Having grown up in a broken family I know how hard it can be, especially around holidays like Christmas. Because it becomes this constant reminder of what you don’t have, but what you want more than anything. It can really mess with your head and even suck away the magic of Christmas, or at least it can for me. I have been fortunate enough to have an amazing Mum who has always done everything she could to create a good life for me, regardless of the outside situations caused by family. She has always tried to make Christmas a really special day and it soon became the one day I could always count on to be happy and relatively family drama free. And I am so grateful for my Mum for that, but it doesn’t stop the hurt you feel when you see or hear about your friends big family Christmas’s. When I was little I couldn’t understand why my family was so different to everyone else, Now I’m older I can understand better but I wouldn’t say it makes it any easier. I’ve just learnt over the years ways to make Christmas special, regardless of who I am or aren’t spending it with.

Below are a few things that helped me to make Christmas special, regardless of my family situation

ACCEPT IT

As hard as it is, constantly wishing that things were different won’t change it. It will only make you feel miserable, accepting it does not mean you are ok with it in any way! It just means that you are choosing to enjoy your holidays regardless of your family situation.

TALK TO SOMEONE

Don’t be afraid to express your feelings to someone you trust. Whether your family has always been broken or maybe it’s been more recent. It’s sp important mot to push these feelings down. It’s totally ok to be upset about it and totally normal too! Having a broken family sucks and it can be emotionally hard to deal with. Reaching out to someone can really help and they may be able to give you some advice to help you deal with those feelings.

GRATITUDE IS KEY

The biggest thing that has helped me is focusing on being grateful for the things I do have. I am so fortunate to have a loving Mum, food on the table, clean drinking water and a roof over my head. So many kids don’t even have one of those things, I always make sure to remind myself of that when I’m feeling down about my own family’s situation as well as focus on 3 special Christmas memories.

SPECIAL TRADITIONS

After my family broke up my Mum and I created new Christmas traditions. That made Christmas that extra bit special, some of my favourites are: