With the holidays come a slew of unrealistic expectations for parents.
As if we weren't held to impossibly high standards of perfection anyway, along come holiday traditions you need to balance along with everything else you have going on.
We totally understand.
Some parents can flawlessly transition more and more onto their plate while others struggle a little, and that's totally okay. Instead of getting caught up on what every other parent is doing around the holidays, we're here to say it's 100% ok to relax, wing it if you have to, or even <gasp!> sit this one out all together.
So we've all seen hilarious elf on the shelf photos circulating the internet.
Who would've thought a toy would bring so much pressure and anxiety?
This mischievous elf is an opportunity for parents to let go and have a little fun during the crazy holiday season, while maybe creating a little Christmas magic for your kiddos. Sounds simple enough, but as with all parenting decisions...judgment abounds. It seems whether you do "the Elf" or not, and how extravagant you are with it (or not!), someone has an opinion.
Like with parenting in general, just do your thing and don't get caught up in what "the Joneses" are (or aren't) up to . It'll just burn you out and you'll feel discouraged.
The basics of elf on a shelf are actually simple.
Take elf. Hide elf. Kids find elf.
Pretty simple, right? No need to overthink it, he's just a toy. Or get carried away if you like, its entirely up to you!
We're in awe of parents who find the time to make elaborate scenes with their elf! Every effort a parent makes to go a little above and beyond is worth celebrating.
But don't worry that you aren't delivering enough elf entertainment for the world to see. or if this particular tradition is just not your cup of tea. Whatever parenting styles you choose to implement in your kids' lives is entirely up to you.
Bare Minimum Elf. Extravagant Elf. No Elf. We support you.
Don't sweat the judgement and make the effort to boost the confidence of other parents, we're all in this together.
(But if you're making crazy elf scenes and posting them on social media, don't stop because we are totally getting a kick out of it!)
