If you like to set new year’s goals, or establish new year’s resolutions, here are my top 10 for parents in 2022:
1. Be sure your child feels and hears your love every day. Find new ways to say and show “I love you.”
2. Be intentional about saying more positive than negative comments. Here’s a goal: try 10 positive comments for every negative or critical one.
3. Laugh with your kids every day. Even if you aren’t naturally a silly person, you can choose to be silly. Laughter breaks down walls and strengthens bonds.
4. Listen more than you talk. Let your kids talk without interrupting them. Let them finish their sentences before you say what you have to say.
5. Let your kid make mistakes. When they do, talk with them about what they could and should do differently next time. The object is for them to learn from those mistakes, not repeat them.
6. Don’t focus on fixing your kids. Focus on loving your kids, not fixing them. Fixing them means you try to solve their problems for them and tell them how to handle their problems. Not fixing them means guiding and teaching them.
7. Establish family core values. If you have already done this, then make it a point to review them with your kids. If you haven’t, set up a free 30-minute intro call here and I will help you.
8. Focus on clear, consistent communication. Does your child know their boundaries and the consequences of going outside of them? Be sure you are communicating them clearly.
9. Teach your child to solve their own problems. This is a skill they will need in life to be fully independent.
10. Focus on your own personal growth. Sit down today and decide what things you would like to work on as parent. Then take steps to do that–get a book, choose a parenting podcast, or set up an appointment with me for a free intro call.
Happy New Year to all! May you make wonderful memories with your kids in 2022!