Maitland Mental Health Co.

Maitland Mental Health Co. Testing, therapy, & educational consulting for children, teens, & young adults

Dear mama,This season is beautiful and also loud and also a lot.If your kid melts down after the party, if you cry in th...
12/25/2025

Dear mama,

This season is beautiful and also loud and also a lot.

If your kid melts down after the party, if you cry in the car after Target, if you need a minute in the bathroom just to breathe..you’re not doing it wrong.

You’re parenting in December.
And it’s hard.

From one mom who sees it every day in my work and in my own house, you’re doing better than you think 🤍

5 things every parent should know before Christmas morning:Before Christmas morning arrives, here are a few things every...
12/24/2025

5 things every parent should know before Christmas morning:

Before Christmas morning arrives, here are a few things every parent should know:

1. Excitement and overstimulation look identical in the brain
2. Kids may crash hard after the high
3. Some children show gratitude later, not in the moment
4. Routines help more than reminders
5. Your presence regulates them more than any gift ever will

A smoother morning starts with realistic expectations ❤️🎄

How to set gentle limits with relatives during the holidays 🎄🎄🎄Boundaries can be respectful and firm at the same time.Yo...
12/23/2025

How to set gentle limits with relatives during the holidays 🎄🎄🎄

Boundaries can be respectful and firm at the same time.

You can appreciate relatives and still say:
🎄 ”That doesn’t work for our child”
🎄 ”We’re handling it differently”
🎄 ”We’ve got this”

Reminder that you’re allowed to choose peace over people-pleasing 🤍

What I notice during the holidays, as a mom and mental health professional:Holidays magnify emotions in both directions....
12/21/2025

What I notice during the holidays, as a mom and mental health professional:

Holidays magnify emotions in both directions. Joy feels bigger. Stress feels bigger. Everything in between feels bigger too.

Common patterns I see:
•kids hold it together all day, then fall apart at home
•more nighttime tears
•extra clinginess
•emotional “leftovers” from overstimulation

This is not a sign something is wrong. It’s a sign they feel safest with you. And safety is the whole point 🫶

How sensory sensitivities show up during celebrations: Holidays come with new sounds, smells, textures, and routines.Som...
12/21/2025

How sensory sensitivities show up during celebrations:

Holidays come with new sounds, smells, textures, and routines.

Some kids enjoy the novelty, others become overwhelmed faster than usual.

Sensory sensitivities can look like:
🎅🏼 ”this shirt feels wrong”
🎅🏼 hands over ears
🎅🏼 avoiding crowded rooms
🎅🏼 sudden tears or shutdowns
🎅🏼 needing to leave early

This isn’t lucky or dramatic, it’s a nervous system reacting to a lot of input at once. Small adjustments can help the whole day go smoother.

Why gratitude is hard when kids are overwhelmed: Gratitude is a skill— and skills are harder to access when a child is ...
12/20/2025

Why gratitude is hard when kids are overwhelmed:

Gratitude is a skill— and skills are harder to access when a child is overwhelmed.

During gift-heavy or high-excitement moment, kids are often juggling:
🎁 Sensory overload
🎁 Big expectations
🎁 Transitions
🎁 Emotional regulation

So when gratitude doesn’t show up the way we expect, it’s usually not entitlement..it’s overload.

Model it. Name it gently. Keep expectations realistic.

Gratitude grows best when kids feel regulated, not pressured.

Signs your child is overstimulated (and how to help):Overstimulation doesn’t always look like chaos.Sometimes it looks l...
12/19/2025

Signs your child is overstimulated (and how to help):

Overstimulation doesn’t always look like chaos.

Sometimes it looks like:
•Suddenly silly or loud
•Irritable over small things
•”Nothing is wrong” but everything feels wrong
•Shutting down after holding it together all day

These are signals, not behavior problems.

Support doesn’t have to be complicated.

Lower the noise. Create a pause. Reduce demands. Offer connection before correction.

Most kids don’t need fixing in these moments, they need relief.

Advocating for your child’s emotional needs at gatherings: Advocating for your child doesn’t always look like a big conv...
12/18/2025

Advocating for your child’s emotional needs at gatherings:

Advocating for your child doesn’t always look like a big conversation. Sometimes it’s quiet, proactive, and preventative.

It can sound like:
🎄 ”We’ll stay for an hour and reassess”
🎄 ”He might need breaks, and that’s okay”
🎄 ”We’re stepping outside for a minute”

You’re not being dramatic, you’re reading your child accurately.

Emotional needs don’t disappear just because it’s a holiday, party, or family event. And honoring them early often prevents the big blowups later.

Why the holidays can feel extra hard on kids’ behavior?The holidays bring so much magic..and also so much dysregulation....
12/17/2025

Why the holidays can feel extra hard on kids’ behavior?

The holidays bring so much magic..and also so much dysregulation.

New routines, late nights, loud houses, cousins everywhere, more sugar than usual— it’s a lot for kids.

If your child seems clingier, quicker to overwhelm, or a little “off,” it’s not bad behavior. It’s their nervous system trying to keep up with all the change.

A little extra connection and a few predictable moments go a long way right now.

What I would tell parents if I wasn’t afraid to hurt your feelings1. Your child is not giving you a hard time. They’re h...
12/16/2025

What I would tell parents if I wasn’t afraid to hurt your feelings

1. Your child is not giving you a hard time. They’re having a hard time.
2. The meltdown you only see at home means you’re their safe place, not that you’re doing something wrong.
3. Consequences don’t fix overwhelm. Connection usually does more.
4. Holiday “misbehavior” is almost always overstimulation, not character.
5. Your calm matters more than the schedule, the traditions, or the perfect morning.

Sometimes our child’s big feelings bump right into our old wounds. You’re not failing if your first instinct isn’t calm....
12/15/2025

Sometimes our child’s big feelings bump right into our old wounds.

You’re not failing if your first instinct isn’t calm. You’re human.

Try:
• taking a pause before responding
• replacing “why are you acting like this?” with “what’s hard right now?”
• stepping away if you need to
• repairing after a tough moment

Kids don’t need perfect. They need safe.

Parenting ain’t for the weak. Sending love to the parents doing this work in real time 🫡

IEP/504 accommodations parents forget to ask for: A few accommodations worth remembering:•Reduced volume of work, not ea...
12/12/2025

IEP/504 accommodations parents forget to ask for:

A few accommodations worth remembering:

•Reduced volume of work, not easier work
•Alternatives to oral reading
•Check-ins during independent work
•Movement or sensory breaks
•Extended time that doesn’t eat up lunch or recess

Small tweaks make a big difference. (And remember, you should never apologize for advocating for your child!)

Save this for your next school meeting.

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549 N Wymore Road, Suite 107
Maitland, FL
32751

Telephone

+14078663148

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