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Parenting Resources
Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) - This is a great resource for moms of preschool children. For more information on the MOPS group that meets at First Church twice a month on Friday mornings, click here.
Focus on the Family
- This site has great information
for parents on dealing with a myriad of
family issues.
Keys for Kids - Daily online
devotionals for families and children.
Kids' Health
- A great site for children's health and
safety information.
Learning Planet - This site offers
online learning games you can play with
your child.
Grand
Rapids Kids - This site has tons of
fun activities for families in the Grand
Rapids Area.
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Featured Article:
True-to-Life Resolutions
By Jennifer Wolf
Resolutions and goals aren't something we ought think about only in January. Working toward goals is part of constantly growing and learning - essential ingredients in living a vibrant, full life.
In particular, as parents, our lives rarely stay exactly the same from year to year, or month to month. Even from week to week, our goals and the things we're working on as a family grow and change.
When it comes to setting specific goals, though, I find that articulating our parenting goals can be especially difficult because they tend to be born out of something that isn't going so well. Maybe we find ourselves yelling too much, or we're worried about whether we're doing enough to help our kids learn how to make friends and get along. It's frustrating to admit that, often, parenting isn't as smooth as we'd like it to be.
So there's a balance we need to strike between being too hard on ourselves and blowing off something that's really nagging at us.
To help you find that balance, ask yourself these questions about the goal you have in mind:
- What's behind the goal or resolution? What is the real intent? Is it really something I agree with, support, and am willing to pursue?
- How can I rephrase the resolution so that it's stated in a positive way? Take the idea "I'm not going to yell at my kids anymore." What if you rephrased that to say something like "I'm going to pay attention to what really works when I interact with my kids." Do you see how that has a different feel to it? Instead of working to correct something that you see as negative, rephrase your goal to become something positive that you're working toward for the long run.
- What baby steps can I take right now toward meeting this goal? Break the goal down into smaller steps that you can build into your everyday life. For the above example, start by taking a deep breath before you talk when you feel agitated. Then work on getting down on your kids' level when you talk, so that your directions are clear. Another baby step would be making sure you get some "me time" at some point in your day, so that you can be focused on your kids when you're interacting with them. And finally, once you begin to realize what works well, repeat it so that you can test out its ability to positively influence your kids for the long haul.
Finally, don't be too hard on yourself when you're setting new goals. Celebrate your successes and, if possible, find a partner to cheer you on and hold you accountable. And remember that life is process, not a goal. The difference you make along the way may matter a whole lot more to your kids than reaching the final destination.
Jennifer Wolf is a Certified Parent Coachâ and the owner of Pathways Parent Coach, LLC. She also runs a free weekly support call for Christian moms every Tuesday through her blog, www.faithinparenting.com. In addition, Jennifer writes content for the Single Parents site on About.com's Parenting Network. Jennifer and her husband, Christopher, have two children, ages 10 and 6.
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