Winter doesn’t just happen inside individuals.
It happens between people, too.

Between co-parents trying to keep routines steady while juggling everything else.
Between colleagues who care about each other but are running on fumes.
Between family members moving around the same house but feeling worlds apart.

Children have their winter signals. But adults? Ours tend to be disguised as being “fine.”

You keep going, showing up, and managing schedules, emotions, meals, projects, relationships—until one day you realize you're running on the same 2% battery you’ve been ignoring for weeks. This is the grown-up version of wintering.

December can be a full season—full of change, excitement, overstimulation, unpredictable schedules, emotional memories, and expectations they can’t quite name. Kids don’t have the words, so their bodies and behaviors speak for them.

It’s not misbehavior, attitude or “regression.” It’s their nervous system whispering, “Something is too much right now.”