Happy Easter everybody!

Holidays with our large, transracial family are always fun. For the past few years, it seems we have almost always had a child that was experiencing the holiday for the first time with us (and sometimes the first time ever), which makes it more special for everyone.

Today is Belane’s first Easter, and as she enjoys running around and finding eggs, snuggling her stuffed rabbit and twirling in her Ethiopian dress, I watch her and think of last Easter, when my heart was so heavy. She was still in Ethiopia, and we had not yet decided to adopt her, although my heart longed to do so. So today is an extra special day for me. (For a full write up of our Easter celebrations and lots of pictures, you can check out my personal blog later tonight.)

Here are some tips for celebrating holidays with newly adopted children (and even for adopted children in general).

-Keep things low key, if possible. Holidays are exciting, and children who are newly adopted can get overwhelmed easily. Don't overdo candy and gifts. If possible, keep things on the quiet side. If going to a huge family gathering is part of the way you celebrate the holiday, consider limiting the amount of time you spend there, and make sure that your child’s nap, sleep and meal times aren’t affected. Keep your child close to you (or keep a close eye on them) and watch for signs that they are getting overwhelmed.

-Remember that with all of the excitement of holidays, comes a lot of emotions. Especially for children who were adopted at older ages, holidays can be a time of anxiety, sadness and grief, as they remember holidays spent with their first families. I know that every Easter I think back about my Easter Sundays as a little girl and the things my family did together, and children tend to do the same thing. Allow your child to talk about their holiday memories if they want to. Do not be too busy for conversation. Be understanding of their feelings and validate them. Be willing to incorporate some of your child’s previous holiday traditions into your family’s celebration.

-Use Easter (and other holidays) as an opportunity to build new family memories and traditions. Having family traditions is a wonderful way to build bonds and help adopted children feel like a true part of the family. Even our Benjamin, who had his first Easter with us last year, has been excitedly telling people the things that we “always do” on Easter. Color Easter eggs, have an Easter egg hunt, read scriptures together, make bunnies out of paper, glue and cotton balls, go fly kites…it does not matter so much what you do, but that you do it together. Take pictures to preserve the memories, and talk about the fun things you did. Next Easter, continue with some of the traditions you started.

For more tips on holidays with newly adopted children, you can read this post I wrote on the topic.

Here are some more articles on celebrating Easter with your adopted child.

Holiday Anxiety and Adopted Children

The Easter Egg Hunt