Welcome to 2012 from the GiftED I Am Team! With the start of another new year, we hope you’ve had the chance to reflect upon the events in your life since last January. Maybe you’ve started a new job or had a new addition in the family. Perhaps you’ve said goodbye to a loved one or welcomed something new in your life. The beauty of looking back on the year lies in the element of surprise – who of us can say that we knew where we’d be today even a year ago?
Every New Year’s we go through the motions of trying to be better people, trying to spend more time with our kids, trying to be more productive at work, trying to stay fit and healthy. In this day and age we even have apps to help us keep our New Year’s resolutions on track! While we’re all for self-improvement, are we really giving ourselves enough credit? Maybe you already are enough!
Don’t get us wrong – we’re not giving you an excuse to give up on your New Year’s resolutions just yet. But in addition to setting goals for yourself, why not try something different this New Year? Take the time to recognize just how much you do – especially for your kids – everyday. None of us are perfect, but if we can realize it when we have room for improvement then we’re already ahead of the game. We don’t have to be superparents all the time.
All too often we’re drawn to pointing out our own failures and shortcomings, and imagining what our lives would look like if we could only do this or that – to keep the house cleaner, to go to the gym more often, to be the perfect role model for our kids. It is very normal for people to feel preoccupied with being productive, successful, and happy. But when we don’t live up to our own expectations, we learn to carry guilt and shame with us. While it’s good to strive for progress and self-improvement, ask yourself if you’re ever too hard on yourself. Are you taking the time to thank yourself for what you have done before moving on to the next thing?
Almost a year ago Shelley Lefkoe, creator of the Parenting the Lefkoe Way, blogged that we need to teach our kids that they are enough – that they can be perfectly happy and totally functional without having to constantly strive for parental approval. While that still rings as true as ever, today we’re asking you to turn the tables and tell yourself that YOU are also enough. Regardless of what you may have been taught growing up, you are more than enough! You already have all the tools you need to be the parent you want to be and to do what you love to do. All it requires is a small amount of self-awareness. The simple act of thanking yourself can transform the way you see yourself in the New Year – and the way your kids see you.
So, before January melts away take a moment to reconsider whether you’ve given yourself enough credit for what you did for yourself and for your kids in 2011. There are many things in life which take effort, especially when it comes to parenting. Perhaps you made it to all of your daughter’s soccer games last year or you finally spent some time teaching your son how to drive. Try to look at it from your child’s point of view; without a doubt your kids are fully conscious of how valuable your time is and how truly great it is each time you choose to spend your time with them. With that added perspective you can move forward into 2012 – and, of course don’t forget about those resolutions.
Congratulations on 2011 and warm wishes in the New Year!
The GiftED Team
