Now that the new year is here are you going to be in the driver’s seat to see as it unfolds? Or are you going to be a passenger in the backseat, just going along for the ride? We’ve all felt the way the latter feels. Resolve to be a stress free parent this year. When we’re frazzled, our children seem to act up. Coincidence? Not really. When our house is cluttered and untidy, do our kids whine that they’re bored or are they hyperactive? Most often, yes. If we are always rushing from one lesson to the next, do we have a lot of extra patience for our kids? Nope. In the modern world, we live in, it is very easy to let life lead us leading it.

However, imagine if you were able to actually choose how your daily life played out?

• Waking up before the kids and drinking a cup of warm water with lemon while you set an intention for your day.
• Having your kids wake up happy and get dressed quickly and easily.
• Creating a place to put your things and your kid’s things so that you never had to be stressed and wonder where something is.
• Having a regular routine or ritual that your family participated in each and every day or week that made you bond closely?

Life can be designed, but it takes some time and thought, and support, to make it how you would like. I encourage you to spend some time on New Year’s Day or the day after and write down three things you would like to have more of in your life this year. I’d also suggest you come up with two or three things that are not serving you and let them go--whether they be something in your schedule, your home, or your personal life such as a “friend” or an emotion.

The last part of this exercise would be to write out how you can acquire the things you want in your life. Do you need support, to hire someone, to schedule in something, to ask for help, or create a routine?

Read these statements and answer “yes”, “no,” or “sometimes.”

1. My home feels like a cozy, calm space for me and my family, free of excess.
2. My schedule allows me to accomplish what I want.
3. I have all the time I need to replenish my energy.
4. My kids have routines that allow them to accomplish what they need to every day.
5. I feel balanced and fulfilled, most of the time.
6.  Do I feel like I easily provide nutritious meals for my family on a regular basis.
7. Have an organizing system in place that fully support my day-to-day life.
8. I set a good example for my children when it comes to how to live a balanced and healthy life.
9. My kids listen to me when I ask them to do something or stop doing something.

If you have much bigger dreams for your home, family, schedule, and life than where you’re at today and you finally want to be able to describe yourself as a stress-free parent.  Here’s to a fulfilling, meaningful and “in the driver’s seat” kind.