New Year, Same Family
Image via www.delwarelibrary.org
You can look anywhere and see all kinds of advice for making 2017 the best year ever. Advice about healthy eating and getting in better shape. Advice about life balance, jobs and financial planning. Advice about relationships and centering yourself through faith and yoga. You can even find advice about what to plant in a 2017 garden. All of this focused on making you a different, a “better” person.
Who are all these people who think they know more about you than you do?
You know about you and you know about your family. You are the one who shops on the weekend and fills the fridge, who takes care of children, pets, relationships and the car pool. Schedules, calendars, plans and parties are organized and successful under your watch. I think that that is pretty terrific.
I know that if you truly look at your children and family you will see yourself in their smiles, hear your voice in their conversations, find your choices in theirs and discover that this past year has brought harmony and happiness in far greater measures than you thought.
Talking with families of little ones over the last year, these are the joys that they shared when they talked about the amazing changes that had happened before their very eyes. These are the stories of 2016:
- Their babies with fuzzy heads now have little pony tails and can toddle. These babies can choose toys, they sleep longer, giggle and laugh when you do and are far more agreeable when they are fed. Babies toddling discovered new and exciting sights, sounds, pets and people and loved every one! They even say mama and dada!
- Toddlers can string words together with true meaning. They have strong legs that run, jump, climb – and dance! Toddlers played with purpose often selecting a favorite toy to spend time and attention on. While two year olds were “saucy” and stubborn, families shared wonderful stories of personalities emerging and friendships budding.
- Stories of three year olds in 2016 usually centered around play and playing. The use of the potty had opened up so much more independence and this new time was spent playing with friends, dressing up, and building Lego towers, working through puzzles and drawing with bright colors. Play dates and birthday parties took on new meaning!
- Families with preschoolers could not believe how smart they are. Letters, shapes, numbers, words, animals, trees and stories had taken on so many meanings! The significance of having a friend and being a friend blossomed in preschool. Children impatient and compulsive a few years ago now showed beginning organization and cooperation skills – they had grown so much.
In 2017 don’t miss a trick. Play and read every day with your little one. Hold your arms out to your new walker, sing with your new talker, build towers to the sky with your three year old and investigate the neighborhood with your preschoolers. I can’t wait to hear your stories at the end of 2017! Wishing you a New Year of family, friends and fun!
Kate Dust
Vice President of Education and Staff Development