• Dr. Laura
  • Posts
  • How to Avoid Common Family Conflicts this Season

How to Avoid Common Family Conflicts this Season

+ how to keep up with me while I'm on break!

December 14, 2024

(Divorced) Home For the Holidays

In the months leading up to the holidays, I start getting calls from listeners looking for ways to deal with impending family dramas. What should be a joyous time of reunion can feel like a burden — especially with divorces and remarriages.

People often let their emotions about familial situations take over, instead of using logic to lay out how they handle stressful holiday gatherings. In today’s Deep Dive podcast, “(Divorced) Home For the Holidays,” I’m discussing where your priorities should lie — as a parent or step-parent — during this season. Keep these points handy to alleviate holiday stress when divorces are involved:

  1. Have the courage to stay home from anywhere that makes you unhappy

  2. Stop catering to the chaos created by extended family

  3. Give up your tug-of-war with family members

The most important consideration for divorced parents?

The children.

The more effort you and your ex can put into making the holidays enjoyable — instead of tense, awkward, or bitter — the better off your kids will be. Listen to this episode for the pep talk I gave my caller, Jim, who was going to be spending the holidays with his cheating ex-wife and her family

Let me help you avoid making this holiday season more difficult

↓

🎄 Don’t miss this week’s blog post!

It’s the season of family gatherings, and the advice I gave in 2000 in my Perspective magazine continues to be relevant 24 years later! In this week’s blog, “Stupid Things People Do to Mess Up Their Holidays,” I lay out my list of no-no’s for this “holly, jolly” season.

💌 “My Mom Waited Because of You”

Holidays shouldn’t be the only time of year when divorced parents prioritize their kids’ well-being. Read Lezly’s perspective on being raised by a mom who chose to be single for her children in this Email of the Day.

You've Made a Difference!

This year’s Holiday Designs Store has raised over $10,000 for Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation! I couldn’t be more grateful for Family members like you who made this possible.

100% of every purchase from the store directly benefits Children of Fallen Patriots.

This wonderful organization provides college scholarships and educational counseling to the children of military heroes who have lost a parent in the line of duty.

Every new donation made to Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation between now and July 31st, 2025, will be matched dollar-for-dollar, thanks to a generous contribution from retired U.S. Navy Admiral William McRaven and his wife Georgeann as recipients of the 2024 Bezos Courage & Civility Award.

Have I Done Permanent Damage?

Lisa worries that picking an angry, destructive man as the father of her child will do lasting damage.

How to Get Your Dose of Dr. Laura through the Holidays

2024 has been filled with laughter, whoo-hoos, banging gavels, celebrations and memories to last a lifetime. While I’m on holiday break, I’m not slowing down!

Here’s how you can keep up with me until I return on Jan. 6th, 2025:

  • I post multiple videos a week on my YouTube channel, where you can watch break-through discussions with callers and my Wednesday Wisdom series.

  • Catch the best conversations from my on-air program on my Call of the Day podcast, top-rated in the Kids & Family + Parenting categories on Apple Podcasts!

  • I release weekly episodes on my Deep Dive podcast, where I expand on topics commonly discussed on my program and in my books.

  • I’ve got special programming scheduled daily on SiriusXM Triumph111 while I’m gone! Tune into the Deep Dive takeover on the week of Dec. 16th, followed by a Thanksgiving Marathon 2024 encore and “Best-ofs” for the last two weeks of the year. Don’t have SiriusXM? No problem! Click here to get 3 months free!

Start Off Your Year on the Right Foot

Let’s resolve any lingering dilemmas. Set up a time that works for you when I return on-air on Jan. 6th, and my screeners will call you back.

"Now, go DO the right thing!"