Reflections & Resolutions

We have a tradition in our home. Each New Years Eve I set my phone to screen share and pull up my google photos onto the TV. We go through the pictures that were taken throughout the past year and remember. We remember the silly and  hilarious moments while holding space for the tough moments as well. Both have made us who we are as we enter this fresh new year.

This practice brings appreciation for all we have accomplished and all we have conquered together as a family. But, it also does something else. It gives insights into the past that allow us to create new paths for the future. 

Let me encourage you to think back over the past year. For some of us that brings back very painful images of our foster babies being reunited with family. Others of us received a life changing diagnosis that we were not prepared for. Others are seasoned in understanding the dynamics of your neurodivergent kids, but the toll in navigating society's expectations has left you numb. As those thoughts and emotions swell up - also stop and remember the milestones. That moment your child accomplished something you were told they never would. A cherished friend brought love and familiarity with no expectations. A stranger offered a smile when you needed it most. Your child slept through the night for the first time ever! Whatever the milestone is - it’s yours and no one can take that away from you.

As you think back over your year and reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly. Use those reflections to prepare for the new year. What days were the hardest? Was it Halloween when your kiddo stayed up late, ate a bunch of sugar, and was thrown into sensory overload? Then give yourself a day off on November 1st. If you have an office job, request a mental health day now and plan on taking that day off for yourself. If you are a stay at home parent, block that day out to do something that brings you calm. Use the past to prepare for the future. Was a particular event draining for you? Take measures now to cushion the day before or the day after with calm. Do you have an IEP scheduled? Make sure and give yourself the day off after that meeting to call a friend and vent or my personal favorite…hide under your child's weighted blanket until they get home and need it for themselves. Whatever the tough days are that you already know will be challenging for you from the effect of those experiences this year, prepare now. Take out your yearly calendar and mark those days as personal days. You will thank yourself in the following year.

You’re a gift!