Goodness, July flew by -- didn't it?! Probably because I was super busy with the co-op and getting out of the house with Hunter. A few days into August, I don't have a ton of direction with regard to where I want this month to go, but let's see if I can put something together by the end of this post.
My goals last month revolved around being a better parent, but the problem with that kind of goal is that it's not something that I can ever really cross off the list. Nothing to master. Nothing to put a check mark next to. I don't even know if I made any improvements last month, but I was definitely aware of all my shortcomings and triggers and the times I could have done things better. One good thing that happened in July, though, is I started keeping a parenting journal. It's really helped me to reflect on a particularly bad day and come up with a plan to avoid the same problems.
For example, parenting Hunter last Thursday (a preschool co-op day) was really TOUGH. That day, he very much did NOT like that I was giving other children lessons and would go out of his way to interrupt the lessons. He was bouncing off the walls and not choosing any work of his own. My patience wore very thin. I wrote in my journal what were the causes of those problems and brainstormed some solutions. Today, I implemented those solutions, and it was actually a great parenting day. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but everything went much more smoothly. He still was not too happy about mommy giving other children lessons, but we both dealt with it much better.
Despite not being able to cross "be a better parent" off my resolutions list, I think I will still keep one parenting-related goal each month so that I can stay focused on that area of my life. So here goes...
1. Connect with Hunter. I think this is the key to all my parenting woes. But last month, I didn't really have any concrete ideas of how to do this. The way you connect with a toddler is different from a teenager, so it's best to give examples. I will connect with Hunter throughout the day in these ways:
- Get down on the floor and play with him. (Cars, blocks, whatever. Let him choose or I can initiate a game.)
- Have a dance party.
- Play hide and seek.
- Roughhouse with him. (Play "getchu" which is just chasing him around the house saying, "I'm gonna get you!" He loves it. Click here for some other awesome ideas.)
- Read books together.
- Work on a household chore together. (He can help with meal prep, load/unload the washer/dryer, etc.)
- Cuddle on the couch.
2. Read one non-parenting book and one "getting ready for baby" book. Basically, I want to finish the two books I have sitting on my desk. One I borrowed from the library called Primates of Park Avenue. It's one of those guilty pleasure books that I can't wait to dig into. The other is a Montessori book called Understanding the Human Being: The Importance of the First Three Years of Life.
3. Keep the house tidy. I am bringing this one back and making it nice and general. Fold laundry, hang up clothes, wash dishes -- all the normal stuff. But things don't need to be spotless, just tidy. I want it to look like people live here (ha! like that's ever a problem), but pretend that neat and tidy people live here.
It's going to be a great month! xoxo
Such different goals we have. But that's the fun part - stopping by seeing what other struggle with and give some encouragement.
ReplyDeleteSo all the best for your hoal-making hunt and good luck!
Cheers Tonia