Trying Transitions: Entering A New Year With New Parenting Challenges
Happy 2025!
When I started thinking about my first blog of the new year, I thought about transitions. Transitions to a new school, a new job, a new home or a new stage of growth. The list is endless! I thought about the tender, in-between space right before a change, the cozy spot you break away from to allow new growth in. This fluffy place teaches us all we need to know about our strength and adaptability in shifting to something better, something different and opening ourselves to the uttering of valuable lessons we need to learn.
I’ll get a tad bit personal here when I say that nudging out the previous year to usher in the new used to make me sad and anxious. Why? I was entering a new year with unknown “what if’s?” and a lot of what I couldn’t control. For me, it was welcoming a future I could not see and instead of excitement, all I could focus on was how scary that felt. Thankfully, growing older and life experience has brought me to a place of excitement and hope for that which is yet to happen. But it has not been easy!
Parenting a child entering a new stage of growth is chock full of rocky transitions full of unknowns and relearning how to parent in live time. Here’s the thing, though - remember that squishy, comfy spot I talked about earlier? That space can be harder than the actual change itself. Thinking about it, feeling it in your chest or neck as a tightness, a lump in the throat or feelings of sadness, relief, dread. Any feeling is valid and truly carries no shame.
Having my college aged, adult ish child home for a couple of weeks, and beginning to mentally count down the days she has left here at home has been my reality the past two weeks. Three more sleeps, one more family event, the morning she leaves. When your anticipation is hard to navigate and your triggers present - maybe anxiety from the past reminding you of saying goodbye to someone you loved that you never saw again - being gentle with yourself is paramount to being gentle with your child during a tough change. When you panic, lose patience, feel angry, sad and scared in managing the learning in this stage, it’s okay! Sit with what is and honor your feelings. Step back and put some space between you, your child and the situation. Apologize and communicate when it feels supportive for both you and your child. Nurture your own soil so roots of connection and communication thrive. Take care of you so you can take care of them.
