It’s a new year, and for me that means I have an opportunity to reflect on the last year of parenting my sweet little stinker. It’s a chance to highlight where I felt that I succeeded as a mom and also identify where there is room for improvement. This is by no means an easy thing to do.
As parents, many of us focus a lot on the behavior of our children and encourage them to continuously evaluate when there is a mistake or misstep. We instruct them to listen when others are speaking. We encourage them to apologize when they’ve maybe hurt someone’s feelings.
This is an opportunity to practice what we preach. No parent is perfect. As we strive to be the best we can be, this is just another step towards that.
What Were 2025's Wins?
To begin, start with the easy part! What did you do well in this last year of parenting?
Personally, I think I made strides with catching myself when I began to get frustrated. I give myself a gentle mental reminder that this is my little guy’s first time doing or experiencing most things. That can be super exciting for some things and frustrating with others.
This technique does help calm me down so that I’m able to calm him down. I’ve also put more focus into how I’m phrasing questions and commands to make it easier for him to understand.
Overall, I think I did pretty well with giving my boy and myself a little more grace in 2025. And I’m proud of that.
What Needs Work in 2026?
Now the part we’ve all been dreading… what we have to work on.
Yes, it can be difficult to evaluate ourselves as parents. However, if we want to raise resilient, competent and happy children, it’s important to evaluate.
For me, I would like to work on answering bubba when he asks for my attention the first time, especially if I’m looking at my phone. It could be a household task keeping me distracted but I do tend to try to reach a stopping point in what I’m doing before I answer him to allow myself to give him my full attention. However, I recently saw a video of a dad saying he promised his child that he would respond the first time if he was on his phone and put it away. I loved this idea, but it also made me more aware of the idea that him having to say “mama” more than once could be instilling the belief that the phone or task is more important. Outside of an emergency, I don’t want my son to think he is second to anyone or thing.
Another aspect of this is that I do have a bit of a cleaning/ organizing habit. Sounds like a good problem to have, but I do really want the house to be organized, orderly, and generally good looking. I work full time and because of that, my time with my son is more limited than I’d like. I always talk about wanting more and more time with him, but let’s be honest: I can’t quit my job anytime soon!
Instead, I’ve decided to adjust my expectations of what a home with a toddler looks like. We’re a family of three living in a small apartment, and we all know how much kids love to throw their toys around. So yes, the clutter is hard to keep at bay, but maybe it doesn’t have to matter so much in 2026.
A Parenting Goal
As I address this focusing on time, rather than on always having a spotless house,, it’s brought me to a point where I have a goal for the new year!
Those two days I have with him over the weekend and our time on weeknight evenings are invaluable. I want to commit to playing more. Making more messes even! Generally being less concerned with how things look, and more focused on our time together.
Okay …. Your turn. What will you do differently in 2026?
Sophie Hamel is a freelance writer and works in advocacy for victims of interpersonal violence. Her son is two-and-a-half years old.
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