I used to walk into holiday gatherings on high alert — scanning the crowd, scanning the environment, mentally preparing for anything that could overwhelm my child with sensory processing challenges.

And no matter how hard we tried, there was almost always a moment.

A meltdown.

A trigger we didn’t see coming.

A well-meaning relative offering parenting advice that made everything harder — not better.

We often left early. And seriously?

It was exhausting for everyone: our child who was already struggling, the siblings caught in the fallout, and my husband and me trying to hold everything together.

When you're parenting a child with special needs, you’re not using the same rulebook as everyone else.

You throw out everything you thought you knew and learn to focus on your exact child — their triggers, their needs, their cues, and the tiny adjustments that help you prevent the next meltdown instead of reacting to it.

Over time, we learned how to:

• Pivot quickly without shame.

• Prep family and friends before events.

• Tag-team support, taking turns giving one-on-one help.

• Create structure in environments that felt unpredictable.

One of us would stay with our child while the other enjoyed the gathering — until we switched. It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked. And for a long time, it was the only way we could show up.

Years later, things look different.

Our kids are now young adults, and the child who once struggled so intensely in crowded or noisy environments has gained skills, confidence, and regulation. Holiday gatherings are actually enjoyable.

But it wasn’t always this way — and because of those harder years, I started writing down what helped us: the conversations that made things smoother, the small steps that reduced overwhelm, and the tiny shifts that made big differences in our child’s regulation.

Over time, those notes grew into a simple resource I now share with families — a Holiday Peace Guide filled with ideas, scripts, and gentle strategies to help you prepare for gatherings, protect your child’s regulation, and support siblings along the way.

If you’d like a copy, you can grab it here:

Holiday Peace Guide

We’ll send it right over so you can head into the season feeling more supported and less alone.

Because your family deserves more than just surviving the holidays.

You deserve a season that feels grounded, supported, and doable.