Become a Better Parent This Year

Written by Laura Markham for Aha! Parenting.

If you make the same resolution every year, join the club. That doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It means you’re headed in the right direction, and you aren’t perfect yet. (Shocking, I know!) The bad news is, you won’t be perfect this year either. The good news is, you don’t have to be! Kids are resilient, and they don’t need perfection from parents. What they need is a parent who accepts them with all their imperfections, models compassion and respect, and apologizes and reconnects when things go wrong — as they inevitably do.

This is tough work, because it’s about regulating ourselves. That’s why resolving to be more patient rarely works. By the time we’re gritting our teeth to stay “patient” we’re already sliding into the stress response of fight or flight. But if you want to become a more patient parent – and a happier person – it’s completely possible. Here are 5 Resolutions to support you in that goal. Practicing these is the work of a lifetime, so you still won’t be perfect in a year — in fact, you might make these same resolutions next year! But I guarantee you’ll be a more peaceful parent, with a happier child.
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