Making the choice to be a stay-at-home parent often means focusing on helping other family members achieve their goals. However, taking a look within and setting goals for oneself for the upcoming year can help any stay-at-home parent excel at her job.
Nothing elaborate is required to set some new year goals. All that a parent needs is a pen, paper, some concrete ideas for what to accomplish in the coming year, as well as a good deal of determination.
Here are a few suggestions that any stay-at-home parent should consider as she looks to the new year:
Set Time Aside Daily to Play with the Kids
While most stay-at-home parents choose to stay at home so they can be with the children, life’s demands have a way of robbing a parent of great intentions. Setting a daily time to actually play with the children, not just care for them, is an excellent way to get back on the road to being the parent one set out to be.
Plan Ahead
There is a reason that most successful people in life always plan ahead: it works! It is difficult to accomplish much in a day or a week if there is no planning done ahead of time. An expensive day planner is not necessary. A simple pad of paper and a pen and a few moments are all that is required.
Praise the Children
As a stay-at-home mom or a stay-at-home dad, it is easy to fall into the trap of only correcting a child’s actions. But, one word of praise can lead to better behavior more than ten words of criticism. Actively watch children and point out when they do something good. Do this on a daily basis and watch a child’s confidence soar.
Set Aside Adult Time
It is easy as a stay at home parent to get wrapped up in the demands of the job to experience a loss of self. Make a little time each day or a larger chunk of time each day week to focus fun grown-up interests. Involve other adults in the process. Adult time keeps the mind sharp and the stress level low. It also helps avoid parent burn out.
Capture the Special Moments
For the stay-at-home mom or stay-at-home dad, the day may seem to drag on at times. But, children only stay young for a brief period of time. They are changing each and every day. Grab a journal and jot down a few cute phrases a child utters.
Embrace the precious moments and even the ordinary ones in pictures, as well. With digital cameras today, it is easy to take numerous pictures and only keep the ones that truly elicit the best moments that parents will want to be kept for a lifetime. Capture the unique personality of each child during these special photo sessions.
Write Down the Ordinary
Penciling down the favorite meals of a three-year-old or the favorite movie of a seven-year-old will be precious memories years later. Keep a journal for these very ordinary moments and update it weekly or more frequently.
New Year’s resolutions can be a valuable tool for stay-at-home parents to reprioritize their choice to stay at home with their children. Focusing on the importance of the children, planning ahead, and a deliberate focus on self on a regular basis helps a stay-at-home parent reach his or her fullest potential.
Robyn Adams - Robyn Adams is a freelance writer. She graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a B.A. in Journalism. She also has a M.A. in ...
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