36: Surviving the Holidays: Is This Necessary, or Just How I Pictured It?
Raising Autistic DisciplesShow Notes
Welcome to the series: Surviving the Holidays!
From October 31 through Christmas (and the week after), we're entering 60 days of changed schedules, unfamiliar foods, family gatherings, church programs, sensory overload, and traditions that apparently nobody thought to run by an autistic person before making them mandatory.
In this introductory episode of the Raising Autistic Disciples podcast, Larah talks about navigating the holidays as a Christian autism parent, managing expectations, making meaningful accommodations, and learning when to stretch our kids and when to simply go home.
Because sometimes the biggest obstacle to enjoying the holidays isn't our child's challenges. It's the picture we've created in our heads of how everything is supposed to go. That "picture perfect way."
In this episode:
* Why holiday traditions can be exciting for us but overwhelming for our autistic kids. * How to recognize when our expectations create unnecessary challenges. * Why accommodations aren't the same as avoidance. * The difference between ability and capacity. * Why parents get dysregulated, too! * Finding joy in Christ, even when the holidays don't go according to plan.
One question to carry into every holiday gathering: Is this thing I'm stressing about necessary… or is this just how I pictured it?
Our goal isn't to avoid every challenge or make our autistic kids experience the holidays exactly like everyone else. It's to help them participate meaningfully, grow in discipleship, and enjoy the family God has given us.
Resources & Support RAD
📚 Letters to Lindsey [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FS87WY24] 📚 How to Advocate & Stay Christian [https://link.amazon/B00yWcdKK] 📺 Minno — Free 7-Day Trial (Code RAD) [https://gominno.com/?afmc=RAISINGAUTISTICDISCIPLES] 🛍️ Larah's Amazon Picks [https://www.amazon.com/shop/raisingautisticdisciples] 👕 RAD Merch [https://raising-autistic-disciples.printify.me/products] ✍️ RAD on Substack [https://substack.com/@raisingautisticdisciples]
Subscribe to Raising Autistic Disciples and join us for the rest of the series!
More from Raising Autistic Disciples
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If I don't know whether God intends to remove my son's autism this side of eternity… what exactly do I pray for?
Can God heal autism? And if God can, does that mean He has promised that He will?
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