Preparing for the Holidays: Making Memories, Minimizing Meltdowns

You know that moment when your kiddo’s holiday excitement turns into a meltdown? It’s a familiar scene for many parents— when holiday travel or celebration disrupts kids’ routines, it’s normal for little ones to struggle to manage their feelings. Host Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez chats with Maria Lopez​​​​, the Senior Program Manager at the Birth to Five Helpline, about how parents can co-regulate by modeling healthy behavior for their children and ways to prepare your kiddo so the whole family can enjoy the holidays.Host:Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez is the Chief of the Office of Children’s Health at the Arizona Department of Health Services. She is married, has two young children, and loves reading (anything except parenting books!) and watching movies and TV.She enjoys spending time with her kids (when they aren’t driving her crazy) and celebrating all of their little, and big, accomplishments. Jessica has been in the field of family and child development for over 20 years, focused on normalizing the hard work of parenting and making it easier to ask the hard questions.Links:Strong Families AZHost: Jessica Stewart-GonzalezGuest: Maria Lopez​​​​The Birth to Five Helpline