TREAT YOUR DAUGHTERS THE SAME WAY YOU TREAT YOUR SONS. When you send the message that their gender does not determine their value, success, or happiness, your kids will grow up believing that it’s their abilities that matter, not whether they are a boy or girl. Boys cry, girls run fast, boys like pink, girls can lift heavy objects, boys enjoy cooking, girls like blue, and the list goes on and on. Praise creativity, curiosity, strength, compassion, and sensitivity. Allow your child’s interests and passions to determine their journey, not society’s perceptions of what success looks like for a boy or girl. Your kids are so much more than that!
”SELL THE DREAM!” If you want your kids to live, a happy, healthy, joy-filled life, you need to live it first. Live it and then talk about it. Share why your morning or evening run is so important to you? Why do you hire a sitter to make it happen? Tell your kids how great it feels to exercise and sweat for reasons other than chasing after them at the park. Why do you go out on dates with your spouse/partner or out with friends? Explain that those relationships are important and make you happy –Spending time and energy to nurture and grow them is healthy and smart. Your kids are watching you live your life and learning what is important, who is important, and how you honor those things. “LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT YOUR KIDS TO LIVE!”
BE STEADFAST IN LIVING A LIFE OF INTEGRITY, HONESTY, AND GOODNESS, TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS. At the end of the day the things you accumulate are irrelevant, yet those people whom you have served, helped, and honored with your time, energy, and talent–they are your greatest accomplishment and reward. Walk a walk that defines your strength of character, love of family, and devotion to sharing all you have to help others, and you will never walk alone.
ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS YOU CAN GIVE YOUR KIDS THIS YEAR IS WORK. Believe it or not, daily chores are the ticket to nurture the values of responsibility, determination, accountability, team work, and work ethic. Chores will teach your kids that they are an integral part of your family’s success. Without their help, your team will struggle. It’s a powerful message to send that your family is like a team and everyone has a part in keeping the team strong. Building work ethic begins at home. Who is unloading your dishwasher today? Assign it to one of those clever and capable kids of yours. They can absolutely do it.
AS THE LAST PIE PLATE IS EMPTIED THIS WEEKEND, Take a look around your table and ask yourself who can help take the pressure off of you and lighten your load this season? Which of your kids can start unloading the dishwasher in the morning? Who can clear the table after dinner? Which one is going to start folding a load (or two) of laundry every Monday and Wednesday? How can your spouse or partner pitch in?Use the next few days to parcel out house/family responsibilities so you ALL will enjoy the next month of the holiday season. None of you is as strong as all of you!
Juggling the demands of motherhood can be crazy hard. It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking that the more you do for your kids, the “better” the mom you are. What happens though, is that as you do it all, your kids are missing out on learning how to “do” for themselves & the sense of accomplishment that accompanies their independence. Wouldn’t it be nice not to feel so exhausted? Delegate, Mom–everyone wins!
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