What did you learn this past year? What did you change? What could you have done better? What went well? I think these are all important questions to ask before making resolutions and looking ahead.
One of the things I started learning this past year was how to be my son's advocate. To worry less of what others think of him (or myself as a mother) and to focus more on helping him succeed with any challenge that comes his way. To embrace teaching moments any and every time possible. To bring the adults he comes into contact with for the purpose of learning on to our team. To let them know how they can love him and help him channel his high energy; even on a challenging day.
I realized the feeling of this while teaching my son to unload groceries from a shopping cart behind a rather impatient and rude woman. She had inaccurately assumed he moved an item from her pile, when in fact we were purchasing the same item. She addressed him with coldness and shot icicles toward him often. It felt good to focus on the teaching moment I knew was happening with him and less on her negative energy and irritation with a busy boy she may have expected to behave differently. She didn't know my son. She didn't know how far we have come. She had no idea what a successful event that single shopping trip was for him and I, the effort it took to get to that. She and her opinions didn't matter in that moment as I refused to allow my focus to be derailed.
This year I have hopes and goals and ambitions. Within that list glaring priorities are having fun as a family and spreading happiness by example and service. These boys and this man in my life rock and I want to make them all laugh and smile as often as humanly possible.
