Adventures in Parenting

My daughter said to me yesterday, “Mom, this week has been so fun. Let’s think about all the fun things we did. You go first and name 5 fun things we did.”

It was Christmas vacation and of course, I reeled off not just five but 10 fun things we did. Then it was my daughter’s turn and she easily named 10 more fun things we did.

We love to recall the good times. Reliving those great moments again and again keeps them fresh in our minds.

My goal for this year

I don’t like do the “New Year Resolution” thing – you know what I mean. It just makes you feel guilty that you didn’t exercise like you know you should, or cut down on red meats to lower cholesterol as your doctor advised.

But there is a sort of goal that I’d like to aim for this year, a mindset that I’d like to maintain this year as we begin the new year.

I would like to be maintain a positive outlook, and recall the good things in our lives often.

I want to express thankfulness and appreciation to people more often.

I don’t want to dwell on the negative or criticize one another.

There is already enough negativism in the world, it doesn’t need me to add more to it. If there is something I can contribute to this world, then it is to make the world a happier place, not a more depressing place. That begins in my family.

Business is bad, but happiness rules!

What drove me to this thinking this new year is that my husband and I are real estate agents. I am sure you know the state of the real estate market. It’s not a pretty sight! Business-wise, we are in bad shape. I could be worrying about our finances day and night.

Then I began to think, “Why am I wasting my life worrying?” Do I want one problem to overshadow the joys I experience in other areas of my life? I am heading towards 50 years old pretty quickly. I don’t have time to waste!

My family is great. My husband is kind, loving, faithful, and patient with me. My children are not in drugs, not in jail, and not lazy. There is no need for me to be negative. If I focus on the positive, as my daughter reminded me to name all the fun things we’ve done, I have nothing to complain about.

As a parent we have the power to set the tone in our home, don’t we? We could be nagging about the housework, complaining about the small kitchen, disgruntle about the diapers we have to change and yet another sink full of dishes to wash. Our home will be very depressing! But hold it, that’s not what our lives are about.

Join me this year in promoting a positive attitude of thankfulness in our family. Make a difference this year in contributing joy to the world. Let it begin with us.

Photo by Hamed Saber