Q: What are the benefits of parents tapping into their own creativity when it comes to their relationships with their children?

A: When you pay attention to the creativity of your child, you are connecting to a part of your child that is timeless. When you try to connect to your child's creativity and sense of wonder, you reawaken your own creativity and your own sense of wonder. If you focus on making it a safe and benevolent environment for your child to have self-expression, you then find yourself with a desire to have a safe, protected environment for yourself. The home becomes a sort of sanctuary, not only for your child's creativity but for your own.

Love is an amazing thing. It isn't always floodlights and fireworks. Sometimes love is blurry. You can't see a thing and have road rage, because you're stuck in the clogged congestion of life's freeway with people honking at you to hurry up. Sometimes, not all the time, just sometimes, love is pure magic. It stops you dead in your tracks.

When can you take a moment today to meditate on what you love most about your child?

One-on-one time is a great way to share pleasant time together, and scheduling daily one-on-one time (even if only a few minutes) is a great way to shape our days to ensure a routine of regular connection. It may not seem like it, but these few minutes a day goes a long way toward working together and solving problems when my child is in need of guidance.

What time during the day works best for you to spend a few focused minutes with your child?

Parents spend a significant amount of time talking to kids. We have a lifetime of information and lessons to share with them, and we're constantly searching for the most effective ways to talk to our kids so they will listen to all we have to say. In parent-child relationships, it's us listening well that begets our children listening well.

How do you communicate to your kids that you hear and accept them?

What an exciting time of the year! The wish lists are getting longer. My evening walks have been so pleasant as neighbors are putting up twinkling lights that add such cheer to an otherwise gloomy night.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want my children's experience to be this season. What do I want them to remember? What do I hope they are looking forward to?

Making time to share time and interests with your child refills your love-tank and lets you bounce back after struggles. 

Small moments in every day, every week, keep us connected. Small moments mean the connections do not have to complicated to be powerful. What small, special traditions do you share with your (even grown) children?

Falling in love with our kids is a daring thing to do. Love opens us up, wide open: no armor, no defenses. We're naked and vulnerable when we're in love. Love is powerful. It's not just cupids and chocolates and diamonds. Love is raw, open, vulnerable, crazy, courageous, light that shines on every dark corner, every unmet need, and everything we don't want to look at.

When can you practice bravely allowing yourself to fully love your child?

January is when I look to the future, reflecting on the positive changes I'd like to make in my parenting. Here are my top 6 parenting resolutions for this new year.

When can you let go of your daily to-do list to spend a few minutes of enjoying the present with your child?

Every January presents us with the opportunity for a fresh start, for doing things differently to make positive changes in our families' lives. These 9 resolutions helped me engage in more peaceful parenting with my children, and I hope they help you to create more joyful connection with your children this year.

In what little ways can you put a couple of these resolutions into practice in your home this week?

Like cooking turkey on Thanksgiving or giving flowers on Valentine's Day, I cannot help feeling the tug of this time of year to pause and reflect. Yes, January 1 is just the next day after December 31. But it feels like a beginning, and the part of me that loves rituals and traditions always comes forward with thoughts and questions.

What are your questions?

Comparing seems to be part of human nature. We compare ourselves to others. We compare our children to each other and to other children. Practicing how to refocus from comparing to appreciating makes it easier to see our children, and ourselves, as lovingly unique individuals!

What are your child's strengths? What are your strengths?

Later, when we were listening to Christmas music as we were putting up the tree, I didn't even try to make up a story about how decorating was going to go. I just experienced it as it happened and that was enjoyable. I hope to be able to do the same through the cooking-decorating parties we've been invited to, our town's tree lighting festival, caroling, and whatever other holiday events we've got on the calendar.

What happens when we plan ahead, but events don't go as anticipated?