Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens

Eps 443: Enjoying the holiday season AND our families with Chad Lassiter

Dec 11, 2023

51:03

My guest today is Chad Dion Lassiter, and he’s here today to talk with me about how the holiday season can be a great time for parents to model the practice of tolerance, empathy and understanding their kids will need to be successful in our multicultural world.

I ask Chad how we can prepare our kids emotionally for messiness with extended family during the holiday season, and he shares ideas on how we handle heavy conversations and how we set the tone of our home. I bring up the trickiness of when your core family unit feels one way, but the extended family feels differently, and good practices for parents who are advocating for their child. We talk about the hard conversations that arise during family get-togethers, how to “host like a diplomat,” being present, & seeing the beauty in all people.

Takeaways from the show

Families are cultural carriers
The holidays as an opportunity to visit & connect with your adult children
Winter holidays come with spoken & unspoken expectations
How can we prepare our kids for the messiness of extended family gatherings?
Encouraging our kids to participate in intergenerational conversations
Advocating for your child when extended family has different beliefs
How to “host like a diplomat”
Families socialize us into being who we are
What kids need “in their back pocket” for a holiday get-together
Families can have a heated conversations while still holding truth, love, & kindness at the core
Seeing the beauty in all people