After the Turkey Settles: A Parenting Reset Before the Holiday Rush

The dishes are finally done. The leftovers are nearly gone. And if your house is anything like mine, the fridge still holds one last container of something that’s more memory than meal.

Thanksgiving is behind us, but the emotional residue often lingers.

This week brings a strange kind of quiet, a mix of fatigue and reflection. Maybe you saw family you haven’t seen in a while. Maybe it was more low-key this year. Maybe it was beautiful… or complicated. However it went, what often follows is a moment of emotional “come down.”

But here’s the thing: you don’t have to immediately gear up again.

Before the Next Push… Pause

Between the hustle of Thanksgiving and the momentum of the next round of holidays, there’s this rare window. A sliver of time where you can step back, take a breath, and check in, not with your to-do list, but with yourself and your family.

This is the moment to ask:

• What worked last week, and what didn’t?
• Where did you feel most connected to your kids? Where did things feel off?
• What did your kids show you about what they need right now?
• What kind of tone do you want to set for the rest of the year?

The holidays have a way of bringing out our best intentions,and our most reactive habits. But they can also be a powerful opportunity to model something different.

You Don’t Have to Carry Over the Stress

Just because Thanksgiving felt chaotic or disconnected doesn’t mean the rest of the season has to follow suit.

You can reset the tone right now.

That might mean:

• Saying no to one more thing on the calendar
• Reconnecting with your kid after a tough week
• Building in a few quiet family rituals that feel grounding
• Giving yourself permission to let go of guilt and just enjoy them

The goal isn’t a “perfect” holiday season, it’s a grounded one. And that starts with you.

Let This Week Be the Reset

Whether your Thanksgiving was joyful, strained, or somewhere in between, you’re not stuck in it. This new week is a fresh opportunity to shift gears with intention.

And if things got messy last week? That’s not a failure, it’s feedback.

Use it. Reflect. Adjust. And know that parenting doesn’t happen in the big moments, it happens in the recovery.

You’ve still got time. You’ve still got power.
And you’re not doing this alone.

Peace,
Thomas M. Miller, LICSW