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Happy New Year! I hope 2016 is off to a good start for you and your families. At this time of year we may make New Year’s Resolutions or choose a “word for the year”.

What Is Your “Word of the Year”?

This year my word is “Wonder”. I chose this word because being able to wonder means being able to see from a perspective other than my own.  When I am in a state of wonder, I am also in a place of being more open-minded.

If I’m cut off in traffic, I’m able to wonder what the other driver might be thinking or experiencing…

If one of my kids has a melt-down, I’m able to wonder what he/she might be thinking and therefore feeling…

When we can let go of judgment we can be more open-minded to understanding another person.

When we can change our perspective, we can be softer and more connected.

Unfortunately, our Ego is always comparing and judging. We often think that if we have more of this or less of that, that then we will be happy. In actuality, the more we try to satisfy our Ego, the more we feed it and continue on the impossible path of never being able to satisfy the Ego.

Our children always hear judgment and therefore we need to consciously teach our children the opposite. Our children also see a lot of judgment – the most beautiful models on the front of magazines, commercials about all the latest and greatest luxury cars, and other media messages which suggest that life and all people should be beautiful.

How Can We Teach Our Children to be More Accepting?

Today,  I have two resources: one for the preschool audience (and recommended to me by a kind subscriber of my blog) and one for the older children.

For the parents of younger children, I recommend the book:

 This lovely book teaches children that we have many emotions and all our emotions are acceptable (not all behaviours are acceptable, but all emotions are acceptable). Even if someone’s in a “crabby” mood, that’s okay, we can be by their side until they feel better.

For the parents of older children and teens…  I recently watched this very touching Youtube video clip from Britain’s Got Talent, 2012. This is a touching act that shows how it’s important not to “Judge a book by its cover”. This is a very powerful clip to show your kids how important it is to stay open-minded.

What if we could all try to be more “Wondering”?

When a complete stranger snaps at me, I can wonder what might be causing them unhappiness/stress and show patience.

When I see a homeless person, I can wonder what his/her life circumstances have been and show empathy.

When my child is too tired to go on a walk with our dog and me, I can show understanding for the ups and downs of adolescence.

When my other child is finding Monday morning difficult, I can think about how being an introvert, in an extroverted environment from 9am-3pm, is not as comfortable for introverts.

When one of my children is showing extreme emotions, I can remind myself that being human means that we experience a wide range of all emotions – the highs and the lows.

We never know what a person is going through, and what their circumstances might be, which is why it is important to teach our children about having an open-mind and reaching out to all of humanity.

I wonder what your word is for 2016? I’d love for you to head over to my Facebook page and share your word for 2016. We don’t have to reach all our goals in one year, but we can try to do a little better every year.

Warmly,

PS. My next round of groups to teach boys and girls about anxiety and anxiety management strategies will start again on January 28th, 2016 (See: Winter Anxiety Group 2016). The 7-9yrs. group is full but there are still 2 spaces in the 10-12 yrs. group. For more information, and to register online, please click here. 

PPS.  Registration has just opened up for my next round of Self-Empowerment groups for 7-9 year olds and 10-12 year olds.  These groups will start on Thursday March 31st and will run for six Thursdays.  To find out more information and to register please click here.