New Year Resolutions

by Teacher Jackie Kite

Think of it as a fresh start. A new beginning. A time to make changes. But lets be realistic here. You are still the same person and cannot change overnight. Just like cleaning your house...you need to work on changing things a bit at a time so it does not become overwhelming.

So imagine if you aspire to be a better parent in the coming year. What would that look like? Having more patience? Listening more? Being more consistent? We are not looking for perfection here, but maybe wishing to improve.

The problem is...we are only human! We ALL make mistakes. Including the teachers! The key is learning from those mistakes. Sound familiar? And then we have to deal with children who are not perfect either.

Sometimes we focus on the negatives and overlook the positives in our child's behavior. When I hear a parent say their child had a bad day...do they really mean their child had a tantrum or an attitude for 24 hours or do they mean there was a three minute episode in Safeway when the child did not get what they wanted? Hmmm.

So lets decide to be the best parent we can be given the situation we are in. We all want the best for our children so let us be the best parent for our children. Believe me, I am still resolving to be that parent for my own grown children.

Parenting is a never ending, evolving process and I will support any parent in their quest to be the best parent for their child.

Good luck and Happy New Year!