Never Naughty: Preparing the Adult Baby for the Holidays

With Christmas almost upon us, Daddy will have his hands full with an excited adult baby or little boy.

Dreams of Santa and of special gifts under the Christmas tree will leave him jumping up and down and insisting on tugging your hand and dragging you into yet another toy store. Even if your little guy doesn’t celebrate Christmas, it’s still a special time of the year – holidays, time with family, and with luck lots of special time between Daddy and ‘son’.

But one holiday tradition has a bit of a special place – and that’s the tradition of a parent reminding their child about Santa’s “naughty or nice” list. And as a Daddy to an adult baby this tradition can have a special place as you prepare your little boy for the holiday season ahead.

Naughty or Nice?
As a Daddy, you provide guidance to your little guy. You help create structure so that he has a safe place to express himself and to let go of his adult feelings and responsibilities.

This can mean setting ground rules: bed times, naps, being polite and, of course, the popular “no potty” rule.

Throughout the year, you may have had to gently guide him to remembering how safe and important these rules and structures are. All the little rituals that make up your relationship provide him with consistency and a feeling of stability and safety.

Some Daddy’s will use light forms of punishment (corner times or spankings, say), although my personal preference is more on the side of rewarding good behavior and gentle guidance otherwise.

But as Christmas approaches a Daddy is given a new tool in his tool kit: Santa’s Naughty or Nice list. And while it might seem like an opportunity to encourage proper behavior, this is actually a special opportunity to build your little guys sense of worth and his confidence that he really is Daddy’s little boy.

Good Little Boys

Truth is, most little boys will be on their best behavior as Santa’s arrival approaches. And while you might find yourself saying: “Now, be a good boy so Santa brings you lots of presents” the reality is he’s probably just having a hard time holding in his excitement.

What other time of the year involves so many toys and candy, afterall?

But as a Daddy, you can make this an even more special time of the year. Use this as a time to give your little guy constant reminders and reassurances of how proud you are, of how you think he’s special, of how much you accept that he’s a baby boy who needs his Daddy.

At night, sit down with your little guy and cuddle him and tell him what a good boy he’s been. Tell him that Santa will be impressed, but that Daddy is even more impressed!

Tell him how proud you are that he used his diapers that day like a good little boy. Tell him how much joy you get seeing how excited he is for Christmas. And remind him that no matter what that Daddy loves him and adores all the ways he is your little boy.

If your little guy gets excited at the toy store, don’t try to calm him down. Instead, tell him that Santa will see what an excited little boy he is and that Daddy’s happy that his baby boy is looking forward to the holidays. Give him a little pat on his diapered bum and show him that it’s OK to let all his excitement and happiness out.

Every Day is Special
Christmas is special, but for a Daddy every day is amazing when you have a little boy in your life. The holiday season is your baby boy’s time to live all the special feelings of being little. And for Daddy, it’s a time to give him every reassurance that he will forever be your baby boy.

So what are the special things you would like to do with Daddy as the holidays approach? Do you watch Christmas shows together, go to the toy store, or watch a parade?