Entertaining For The Holidays With Small Kids At Home
Entertaining in your home with young children can be really enjoyable and rewarding
. You just have to follow the rules. What are the cardinal rules for kids with guests over? Be kind, and share. Okay, now apply them to yourself. As the hostess, and with little kids, other people may not understand your special needs or difficulties, so it is up to you to be kind to yourself. First, you need to make sure this is something that you want to do (or at least that you aren't trembling in fear and throwing up anytime someone mentions the blessed event). Just because your house is the central location between far flung relatives or you have the largest dining room, doesn't mean that the health, welfare, and continued family relationship all hinge on the upcoming event and your ability to host it.
It's okay to say no. You can soften the no by suggesting alternative ideas, like renting a small hall or bribing your sister-in-law to eagerly volunteer in your place. Make sure you set boundaries you are comfortable with, like "Dad, I checked with the fire commissioner and my dining room capacity is 25, I guess we won't be able to have the Scottish Highland Bagpipe Band of 150 over this year for appetizers." You can also offer helpful suggestions like, "The kids really do better, especially with little Jimmy, who gets hysterical and starts biting everyone in sight at nine o'clock, when they can go to bed at a normal time. Maybe we could start a little early and try to end by eight." If the sentence "It's okay to say no" earlier in this paragraph was jumping out at you in a three dimensional, comic book style, that is not an actual effect of this article and you may want to request having the event elsewhere. If you think hosting this holiday event is something you want to do, and you have some twinges of excitement, though a little apprehension, great! Just set manageable expectations for an event you, your family, and the kids will enjoy.
Which brings us to the next very important rule. Share. Like small children, even large adults may need some help with this concept. Just because the event is at your house, doesn't mean you have to do all, or most of the work yourself. You need to enlist others to share in the preparations and tasks at hand, just as they will be sharing the food, laughter, and good times, because you might want a bite too. (Does the story of the Little Red Hen come to mind?) You can ask others to sign up to bring food, or be in charge of it. You can ask a few people to come early to help clean, or entertain the kids while you do last minute preparations. If you don't ask, people won't know what you need. If bringing something seems a stretch for them, remember, you are stretching too to try to make this work. Be kind to yourself, and remember, others will be kind to you too. Sharing is fun and can give everyone a chance to contribute. So don't be afraid, you can do it, just not alone!
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