TAG Question of the Week
As we bid adieu to 2012, there’s much to reflect on and much to plan. A New Year is upon us! The possibilities are endless!
And while we consider 2012 one last time, it’s fun to look back as a family and consider the year, that which we’re thankful and milestones that have occurred. But one last thing before we close the book and move on to 2013. What about the things we would change about 2012, if we had that power?
We promise we’re not trying to invite Debbie Downer to your family’s New Year’s party, but there is value in recognizing and working through events that were not as we desired. We can’t shield our children from the pain of the world, but we can provide tools that will help them weather storms, emotionally prepare for disappointment and change, develop empathetic hearts, and recognize their ability to make a difference in the world.
Some years our answers to this question are going to be more obvious than others. In 2001, most Americans would likely have changed the same event that forever altered the way mid-September feels. For our children, desired change from the trivial (our class lost the kickball championship/I didn’t get an iPad for Christmas) to the momentous (family deaths, hurricanes, school shootings, terror in foreign lands) offer lessons in loss and opportunities for reassurance in addition to deeper perspectives into the lives of others and exposure to compassion and understanding. Not just for others, but for themselves. Maybe that kickball championship wasn’t so important after all. Boy, we have a lot to be thankful for.
So as you pull out the New Year’s noisemakers or prepare your meal of pork, black eyed peas and collard greens, take a trip down memory lane. What was best about this year, but more importantly what would you change? – using the Question of the Week!
Happy New Year’s, everyone!
Published every other Friday, use the Question of the Week to spark conversation with your children about family, money, giving and help them explore what matters most to them.