As the holidays get closer, moms and dads all over the world are working hard to make sure their kids have the best Christmas ever. All of this falls on the parents, whether it’s finding the newest toys, going to a fun recital, or making a place that feels like a fairytale. Obviously, it could get old at the very least.
In fact, a 2021 C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll found that both kids and their parents tend to have unrealistic expectations that may be hard to meet. That often makes people feel more stressed, but families still find time to laugh, even when things are crazy. There are many tweets that show this.
We’ve put together some of the funniest Christmas vs. Parenting struggles to show you that there’s no perfect way to deal with the holidays. Sit back and take a look at these tweets.
When it comes to the holidays, most parents have the same ideas about the season, the most common expectations, and the things that stress them out the most. According to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital report, nearly all of them (96%) see the holiday season as a time of overall happiness. However, 18% say that stress levels tend to rise during this time. The survey also found that one in five parents think their children have too high hopes for Christmas. One-fourth of the people admit that they have the same expectations of themselves.
The report showed that there are six main things that make parents feel stressed during the holidays. They include extra shopping and errands, making sure the family is healthy, managing the household finances, planning for gatherings, making special meals, and dealing with criticism from family members about holiday plans. If any of these sounds like things you have to deal with during the holidays, don’t worry. You are not the only one.
Even though there are a lot of holiday songs, surprisingly few of them talk about what parents really think about at Christmas. Such as trying to figure out what the best gift is for your child, which gives parents a headache every year.
Based on the results of the Gift Decisions by Kids and Parents study, kids say that TV and friends are the most common places where they get ideas for Christmas gifts. Researchers came to this conclusion by looking at letters to Santa, who is the best person for a confused parent to talk to.
Families not only have trouble finding the right gift, but they also worry about money. A report from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital says that 29% of the parents they talked to said that money worries were one of the most stressful things about the holidays.
From these funny tweets, it seems like kids don’t notice when Santa’s Little Helpers leave empty package boxes around or hide gifts in their closets. But they have a lot of good ideas about how to spend money and give gifts during the holidays.
No one finds it easy to be good on Christmas Day so they don’t get a lump of coal. The Journal of Happiness Studies did a survey of people aged 18 to 80 to find out how different things affect their mood during the holidays. Even though 74.8% of the people who answered said they were happy or very happy, 43.6% of them agreed that this time of year is stressful.
As cozy and peaceful as a family Christmas may seem in movies or magazines, it can actually be quite a quest. After these kinds of get-togethers, people usually have a long list of things to do, like holiday shopping, a lot of planning, and making meals. The report from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital also mentioned these worries, with shopping being the most common source of stress (31%). After that, 23% said they were planning the event, and 22% said they were making holiday meals.
Parents have to deal with holiday traditions in addition to making sure Christmas Day is perfect for the whole family. From putting the magical Elf on the shelf to putting your patience to the ultimate test by trying to put the Christmas lights together. Most of the time, they have to make mistakes to figure out what could go wrong during the holidays. No matter what, they can use technology to share funny stories and find comfort in the support of other parents. And Twitter is without a doubt a great place to do that!
These funny Tweets show that everyone gets confused during the holiday season. And no parent is left out. Even with all their hard work and careful planning, they might not be able to control everything. Still, these kinds of stories can become funny family lore or at least good online content.
All things considered, it’s never a bad idea to use your own ideas to make the holidays more fun for both parents and children. Whether it’s making new family traditions or having a Christmas movie night, a small gesture could go a long way. You can also spend quality time with your family by making holiday cards, building gingerbread houses, or decorating a Christmas tree.
Even though it might be hard to avoid holiday stress, there are ways to lessen it. Respondents to the Mott Poll Report talked about how they deal with stress. Spending time alone was the most common way. 71% of the parents who were interviewed said this was how they got rid of stress during the holiday season. Others turned to music (55%), exercise (46%), religion (28%), family members (23%), and work (15%).
The unexpected wit of the kids in the family is also often a good way to relieve the stress of the holidays. If a six-year-old says something snarky or gives you financial advice, you’ll either laugh or think about how you spend your money. So, parent blogs and social media accounts become a never-ending source of these kinds of statements. And a good amount of the chemical serotonin.
Some parents would say that Christmas is the best time of the year. Lucky for them, there are ways to let out their sometimes funny frustrations and connect with other parents.
