hair-made-southern-71.html
0319 March
72 / 92
by lindsey saucier t he
witching
hour is near, and you can almost feel it. although, if you are so lucky to not know what the ?
witching
hour? is, you can probably guess. odds are, it?s happening in your house every day. derived from folklore, the
witching
hour is when paranormal activity occurs, and ?creatures? are thought to be most powerful. in modern day households, it?s the hour after you get home or right before bed, when those creatures, also known as your
children
, seem to be conducting black magic. the house is a mess, the dishes are overflowing in the sink, homework needs to be completed, the
children
are arguing, there?s a stack of bills on the counter that need to be paid, and someone needs to get dinner started. it?s chaos around every corner. decompress and connect sorcery aside, if you approach this hour with self-regulation, dominance, and pre-planned compassion, you just might be able to bring your
children
back to the natural world. for local mom of two, kayla valenti, her household
witching
hour usually takes place between 7 and 8 p.m. with her six-year-old daughter and three-year-old son. ?it is chaotic,? she explains. ?the kids start fighting and crying. it?s almost like they have gone mad.? valenti combats her
witching
hour by turning it into a time of relaxation. she and her
children
do a variety of low-key activities, including reading, watching movies, and even sitting together and discussing their days. ?this helps to make the transition to bedtime easier,? she says. ?if we?re sitting and relaxing, we usually make it a time where we can cuddle together and talk about our days or anything they want. just spending more time with them, where they have my complete
attention
helps out a lot.? lynn gresham, licensed professional counselor, says it?s important to remain mindful of what each member of the family is carrying with them into that transitional time of day?whether it?s the hour after everyone gets home or the hour right before bed. if your
witching
hour happens when the working day is done, your
children
are likely to be hungry, exhausted, and craving
attention
, all the while knowing that there?s more work to do when they get home. taking simple proactive measures such as planning for the family to spend 10 minutes decompressing and connecting, without technology, could make a huge difference. like valenti, gresham recommends giving complete
attention
for a few moments so
children
will have an easier time turning their
attention
to homework, helping, or independent play. ?your
children
are experiencing a similar range of feelings, just as you are, except their cognitive abilities to identify and verbalize their expansive feelings about going home [or going to bed] is limited,? gresham says. ?make connecting with your
children
a priority so that they don?t seek out
attention
in negative ways.? utilize technology while it?s important to plan for time to decompress without technology, it?s equally as important to utilize it, if you?re a parent short on time. ?because most parents have busy schedules during the week, one stressor that is often brought up is dinner time,? gresham says. ?if you know this is a struggle in the evenings, plan your meals sunday evening, use one of the apps to order groceries, and pick them up or have them delivered.? practice self-care leslie todd, licensed clinical social worker and therapist, recommends combatting the
witching
hour first thing in the morning. ?i ask a lot of my clients what they had for breakfast, and some of their nutritional habits aren?t great,? she says. ?if you don?t eat until noon, it?s tough and can have negative impacts outwardly through your emotions.? practicing self-care?whether it?s through proper nutrition, exercise or relaxation techniques?is vital to combatting the
witching
hour with a calm and level-headed demeanor. if you aren?t sure what helps to give you that extra pep in your step, it?s important to perform the
witching
hour 7 2 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | m a r c h 2 0 1 9
says-household-need-73.html