While this space is about Parenting, it's best if the community members name what they actually see as needs in themselves or those around them. Please make a vote, and feel free to put something in the "other ideas" area even if it doesn't pertain to parenting per se. Thanks for your thoughts.

Oooo. That is a big word for me, not just in length but in importance. Holding relationships in a respectful and helpful manner is really difficult for me. I made the mistake (many moons ago, and honestly, still do occasionally) to see people as conduits for results (my results), rather than just people to be understood. Not because I was nasty and selfish, but because I didn't know I could achieve way more WITH them and focusing on them. Now I am challenged to connect with the circle beyond my immediate family. EG. brothers and sisters in law and old friends and cousins I have drifted away from. Getting people to "open up" seems to be the issue I am struggling with, and while I have a couple of ideas, I am interested to hear what others think. What has worked for you? PS. If I can crack this nut, it will help my kids to crack the same nut in the future because they will have seen how it is done first hand.

There are 4 stages in life that are not mutually exclusive. The learning years The earning years The legacy years The Golden years Our goal is to arrive at the Golden years having built a legacy we can be proud of. Also, in the Golden years people call us for our wisdom. However, wherever we are on the journey, we can still dabble in the other areas, in fact it is advisable. We can contribute a little wisdom when we are young, a little energy when we are not so young. We can contribute throughout our lives. Often these opportunities to contribute are right before our eyes. It can be a smile, helping someone across the street, a kind observation, patience when the wait is longer than it should be, making us late for the next thing, not needing to be "right" all the time, letting ourselves have a little grace when we screw up. All of these contribute to our legacy and prepare us for our golden years, when we can contribute true wisdom and be happy in the knowledge that we contributed.

We often label children as being difficult. We forget that we too can be really difficult! What's actually difficult is growing up in a world that is full of exhausted, busy, impatient, nervous, and especially today digitally overstimulated adults. We were not taught how to deal with the current scenario of digital advancement. If we don't have time for the child, how can we expect the child to learn how to manage their emotions when we haven't learned how to manage ours? It's time to PAUSE and ask ourselves what WE are doing to help our children cope with their emotions and become less difficult. Have we learned to cope with ours? Thoughts anyone?

What a revelation this was when I learned this. Among others, @Tina Saxena (one of our learned members) was responsible for this MASSIVE STEP FORWARD for me. We are not perfect. We will do our best and we will make mistakes. We can castigate ourselves or we can give ourselves "grace". Grace is NOT an EXCUSE. No, grace is the recognition that we all make mistakes, and as long as we do our best and LEARN from our mistakes and move forward 1 cm or more, we are doing well. The next time you make a mistake, mistreat someone or think something less than pure. Realize you are human. Realize you can do better, but realize, as long as you are doing your best in THIS MOMENT, you deserve a little bit of grace. What are the benefits when you give yourself some grace?