Parenting in the New Year

Happy New Year!  

The start of a new year marks a new beginning, a wonderful opportunity to take a step back to reflect on life as it has been and life as you would like for it to be.  It is frequently a time to examine priorities, behaviors, routines, and relationships, and for many, it is a time to wipe the slate clean and start anew.  To borrow a phrase from the world of technology – it can be a time to call for a reboot.  

As parents, it is important for us to know that there is no such thing as the perfect parent or the perfect child.  There is no recipe for creating the perfect family or raising the perfect kids.  Parenting is often about trial and error, a willingness to reflect on our successes and failures, the ability to learn from our mistakes, a desire to find new solutions, and a deep commitment to keep striving to be the best parents that we can be.  

Just as we work to support our children to become resilient, mindful, and adaptable in order to be successful as they grow, we need those same traits to become the parents that we aspire to be.  Parenting requires resiliency, resourcefulness, adaptability, and a willingness to see our “failures” as the opportunity to grow and learn.  And, just as each stage of our children’s development brings new joys and new challenges, so does each individual child in our family – each one coming with his or her own personality and set of needs to be met.  Parenting is tough work!   

So, as we venture into this new year, take some time to reflect on what you have learned – about yourself, about your children, about your family.  What do you think is going well?  Where do you see the opportunity to learn and grow?  How might you make positive changes in your family or enhance your skills to become a better parent?  

May 2018 bring your family love, laughter, health, happiness, and an abundance of opportunities to grow as individuals and as a family.  We are excited to take this journey with you TOGETHER!