The new year is still fresh and it lends itself to good advice in parenting skills – sharpen your goal directed theoretical arrows and plan to construct targets. A positive coParent project is a perfect family activity. And any faith or culture can adapt this idea as starting a new school year.
What are your target goals for the New Year as coParents in your interaction with your children, for a working member of a community? As parents, you’ll need some construction paper, markers, scissors and a protractor to make three concentric circles and a bulls-eye in the center. Your most significant goal, the most difficult to achieve, is written in the B.E. (Bull’s Eye).
Write your goals in the circles. Your children also will need three targets: personal goals, family goals and communal goals. Communal goals such as performing good deeds and charity such as: beach clean up, pet care and rescue, bringing joy to seniors must be instilled early for a child to gain a social conscience.
Discuss your targets as table talk as you begin to reflect upon the new year; cut out the construction paper targets and hang them prominently in your kitchen as reminders. Keep up the “target practice” – reach the goal of learning to talk without raising your parental voice, try to gain compassion, learn about child development and do not impose expectations or behaviors that are not age appropriate on your children, Think broad brush thoughts about being a member of the greater community by doing charitable projects in the community, teaching our children to be less “me, me” and “I want,” less materialistic and more forthcoming with giving in their hearts – the more we give, the more we receive as positive growth steps.
This is great work as coParents – don’t miss the mark! Creating goals at this specific time of year is creating a personal and a family tradition. Traditions keep your children in a safe structure and program an annual examination with happy anticipation.
About Lori Denman-Underhill
