🎶 Tishrei is coming,
We’re so happy
We’re gonna sing
And shout and tantrum and fight and cry out loud 🎶
Don’t you wait all year for this season? When the whole family gathers peacefully ‘round the table to eat, schmooze, and sing while an uplifting aura permeates the room — No?!
The extra family time and schedule-less days that Yom Tov brings is wonderful in so many ways.
But when you’ve got a child on your hands who — when lacking familiar daily routine — confuses night for day and loving siblings for threatening competitors, then “wonderful” is perhaps not the first word that comes to mind.
“Exhausting”, “Frustrating”, or “Endless” may seem like more apt descriptions for this trying dynamic.
Planning Ahead
Grabbing a few minutes before the Erev Yom Tov hectic-ness hits to make a plan of action pays off — big time.
Think about whether or not it’s a good idea to bring your child along to shofar blowing, or if making a kids “seudah” before Tatty comes on Rosh Hashana afternoon long after standard lunch-time might be helpful.
Are there any big kids in your neighborhood who would welcome a break from shul Rosh Hashana morning to care for your child for an hour, while you rest up or get some davening in? Make a few phone calls before Yom Tov — it’s worth it.
Include your child in the planning process to the extent that it’s possible. Discuss the schedule changes, the new sensory experiences, and what choices they’ll have in different scenarios. Give options whenever possible to avoid power struggles (“Do you want to come to shul and be very quiet while we hear the loud shofar, or do you want to wait in the lobby until its over?” “Do you want to come to the table and eat now, or in 10 minutes?). Giving choices is the silliest trick in the book, and while there are plenty of kids who don’t fall for it, for many, the illusion of control works like magic.
Help your child prepare emotionally for the new experiences on Rosh Hashana with this Rosh Hashana social story we put together for you this year, ready to download and print! 🔻
Tekiah Terror
Does your child jump from loud noises? For sensitive kids, for whom the softest background noises grate loudly in their ears, hearing the shofar can be extremely difficult to bear.
If you have to bring your sensitive child along, consider getting ahold of a pair of noise-cancelling headphones to make the experience smoother — $10 on Amazon.
This time, last year
Click the button below to access our newsletter from last year: a publication chock-full of downloadable resources, social stories, and practical tips to get your family through the Yom Tov season ahead.🔻
Taking Sarah, a spunky 14-year-old girl with challenging behaviors, to any appointment was always a challenge, and when it became clear that she needed a to see a podiatrist, Sarah’s mother dreaded the idea of taking her to a new and unfamiliar doctor. Ezreinu directed her to a podiatrist who was known to be understanding of patients with special needs, and for the first time ever, Sarah had a great experience at a doctor’s visit. ⬛
The Grunberg family was going to stay with relatives in another city for Rosh Hashana, but the hosts made it clear that the invitation did not include Moshe, their 22-year-old son with special needs. Unsure about how to proceed, Mrs. Grunberg reached out to Ezreinu. Arrangements were made for Moshe to stay with a warm, local family for Rosh Hashana, enabling his family to travel without worrying.⬛
Identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality.
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