Why January can feel heavier - and what children with disabilities actually need.
The Emotional Shift After Christmas
Christmas carries a huge emotional build-up.
Weeks of anticipation, social connection, and familiar routines fill the calendar. Family and friends gather. Time feels full and predictable.
And then it ends.
As a child, I found that ending hard. Even now, I still do. The shift from celebration to quiet feels abrupt — like stepping off something moving without warning.
Christmas asks a lot of us emotionally. By the time it’s over, the exhaustion is real. Not just physical, but emotional. And yet, there’s an expectation to move on quickly — to refocus, return to routine, and act as though nothing has shifted.
Some seasons sparkle. Others teach us how to hold what’s left.
When the noise fades, the adjustments begins.
From Unstructured Time Back to Routine
The hardest part isn’t Christmas itself — it’s what comes after.
Moving from unstructured time back into structure can feel heavy. Rest gives way to planning. Familiar rhythms are replaced with expectations.
Growing up in Australia, summer holidays offered a pause — but not complete stillness. My parents worked, and my grandparents looked after me. There were early mornings and early bedtimes. That predictability mattered; it created safety.
But just as we adjusted, conversations about the next school year would begin. New routines. New expectations. What was coming next.
That shift has always felt emotionally demanding.
Transitions aren’t always loud. Sometimes they arrive quietly and stay.
The space between rest and routine often feels the heaviest.
Why This In-Between Space Is Harder for Children with Disabilities
For many children, the end of the holidays brings invisible pressure.
They move from home — a place of comfort, support, and belonging — into environments where expectations resurface quickly. Even when a child isn’t transitioning to high school, they are still stepping into change: new classes, new teachers, new support staff, new routines.
For children with disabilities, belonging doesn’t automatically carry over just because the calendar changes. Familiarity needs to be rebuilt. Safety needs time to settle again.
Children aren’t struggling because they aren’t capable.
They’re struggling because transitions take time.
Belonging doesn’t reset on a schedule.
Traditions take time, even when nothing visibly changes.
The Emotional Cost of “Getting Back to Normal”
After weeks of celebration, returning to focus can feel emotionally exhausting.
There’s grief in leaving behind what felt warm and familiar — even if the time was joyful. There’s anxiety in knowing structure is returning, without knowing exactly how it will feel this time.
For children, this emotional load often goes unnoticed.
For children with disabilities, it’s frequently misunderstood.
This isn’t resistance.
It isn’t defiance.
It’s a nervous system adjusting to change.
Uncertainty feels louder when routine is your anchor.
The in-between isn’t empty holds more than we realise.
Closing Reflection
The days after Christmas sit in a quiet, in-between space.
Not celebration.
Not routine.
Just transition.
For many children — especially those with disabilities — this space can feel unsettled. The noise has stopped, but the structure hasn’t returned yet. Emotions linger without a clear place to land.
There’s no need to rush through this moment.
Some children need time to reconnect with familiarity before they’re ready to move forward. Others need reassurance that nothing is wrong because they don’t feel “ready” yet. Both responses are valid.
As we move through this in-between, I’ll be sharing gentle reflections on Instagram — not to offer answers, but to hold space. Small reminders. Quiet observations. Permission to move at your own pace.
If this post resonated, you’re welcome to continue the conversation there.
And if it didn’t, that’s okay too.
Some seasons ask us to pause.
Others ask us to listen more closely.
The in-between isn’t empty - it’s where adjustments happens.
A Reflection for Parents and Educators
As January begins, it’s tempting to focus on readiness — on plans, goals, and what comes next.
But what children need most during this transition isn’t urgency.
It’s reassurance.
Belonging doesn’t come from moving forward quickly.
It comes from feeling safe enough to arrive — again.
For parents, this might mean holding space for mixed emotions as routines return.
For educators, it might mean prioritising emotional safety before expectations.
Belonging isn’t tied to a tradition - it’s tied to feeling safe.
I’m not just writing about this - I’m standing in it too.
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