The Only Resolution You Should Make

When you’re a parent it’s often wonderful, but often very difficult. Why is it so complicated to be a parent?

A mini-person who looks like us

It’s hard to be a parent because the mini-person we interact with is also the one we love the most in the world. They are the one that we would be ready to give our lives for, the one we want to see happy at all costs. It’s difficult to put constraints on them under these conditions, which is normal.

This mini-person is also the one who often makes us react because basically, they’re a little bit like us. Sometimes, it’s possible through them to recognize our faults or those of our spouse. As a result, it becomes difficult to remain impassive and distance our emotional side. Emotion is so much a part of our daily lives as a parent.

Being a parent is complex because we have to face uncertainty. We must trust our instincts when making decisions, but then doubt arises. Don’t look for perfection – it doesn’t exist!

Stop aiming at perfection, it doesn't not exist!

In life, to be a good parent, one must simply do their best while striving for improvement. Being better does not mean perfection – far from it! It means that we do our best taking into consideration our personality, previous experiences, and the current context of our life. And it also means accepting that you make mistakes and that this is normal. It sounds simple, but it isn’t, especially when we want so much for the sake of our children…

THE resolution to make: using our imperfections

For the beginning of this New Year, make it a habit to repeat to yourself that you’re doing your best. No one is perfect and that’s how it is … However, in order to improve (that’s the goal of any good parent, right?), it is possible to use our imperfections to learn and make other people learn. And that is definitely THE RESOLUTION to make for the New Year!

Have you made a mistake? Have you lost your patience? Has your reaction been contrary to everything you’ve read in the past year? This is an excellent learning situation for your kids. Explain to them why this happened; don’t hesitate to apologize to them.

Then, you’ll become a model to follow. You’re teaching them that everyone can make mistakes and are showing them what to do when this happens.

You can even ask them what you could do next time so that it doesn’t happen again. You then activate the process of finding solutions to improve a situation. Again, by involving them in this process, you are a role model and you help them develop their empathy, accept error, forgive and take stock of possible solutions.

In life, we all make mistakes. We may also realize that we need help so that it’s of lesser importance or happens less. A step in the right direction is to call the CLSC or speak to our doctor when we realize that we’re overwhelmed. What a beautiful gesture to make for the happiness of our favorite mini-human. Again, without really knowing it, you’re acting as a role model by showing your children that going for outside help is both possible and beneficial.

In life, we all make mistakes. What would be distressing is not to realize it and not to learn from them…