As another year (and WHAT a year!) is in the books, we are invited into a season of reflection on the last twelve months, as well as a time to set goals for the coming year. From a mental and emotional health standpoint, this process is especially important this year. For a year unlike any other we've experienced, it's a unique opportunity to sit down as a family to reflect on the past and dream about the future. 

I've found myself nodding in agreement and bowing in shame to much of the parenting advice I’ve ever received — feeling emboldened and inadequate all at the same time. There has been one piece of advice, though, that came like a refreshing drink of water (or maybe a slap in the face). It’s equal parts simple and overwhelming. It’s advice that continuously causes me to re-think my habits and makes obsolete many of the strategies and tips which tend to paralyze us.

Confession: I was that weird kid in high school that actually liked Spanish class. Prior to my sophomore year in high school, I'd never had any experience with a foreign language. I was quickly enthralled. The verb conjugation charts, the strange new phonetics of familiar letters, the shared vocabulary spoken in different ways, the completely novel vocabulary that just had to be memorized--it all made my brain so happy in a way I'd never experienced before. And I began to realize that there was so much about my first language I didn't know, like what in the world an adverb is and how English pronunciation rules make no sense.