I was recently on a zoom call with our Girl Scout troop and asked each of them to tell me their wishes for 2021. My heart sank as each girl made reference to Covid - " I wish Covid will go away this next year!" - "I wish I didn't have to stand 6 feet apart from my friends." - I wish we can go back to school." - " I wish I could see my friends more." - "I wish we don't have to wear masks anymore." Then my ten-year-old daughter looked at me and said, I almost can't remember what it was like before we didn't have to wear masks, Ugh. My heart literally hurt for them all. It wasn't for the typical wishes kids have for the new year. I knew I didn't want to end the zoom call with everyone focusing on the new year with Covid still looming and what they can't control.
So I switched up the conversation and asked them to tell me one thing they were grateful for this last year. They looked at me with blank stares. At that moment none of them could come up with anything good that happened this year. Luckily I am friends with all their moms and saw highlights of their years on social media. I looked at each one and reminded them of one thing I remembered seeing this year for each of them. From gaining a new baby brother to a new puppy or pool in their backyard, their sad faces turned to smiles and excitement.
Good things did happen in 2020! Wonderful, amazing things! We have to remember to be the voice and remind our kids of those moments. It's so easy to look at all we don't have, especially this last year. But can you see the good? The fun? The smiles? I guarantee you it's there!
Go ahead, ask your kids what their wish is for 2020! Then ask them to tell you one good thing that happened in 2020. See where they are at. Are they seeing the good around them?
If they were struggling to find the good in 2020 maybe it's time to start a gratitude jar! It would be such a great way to start your new year! This last year feels like it has flown by and even among all the chaos Covid has brought to our lives, there are good memories you want to hold on to - moments that mattered!
Grab a jar or vase and decorate it if you'd like. Keep it in an open space that everyone has access to. Have slips of paper and a writing utensil nearby. At least once a week have everyone write one memory, one thing they are grateful for and drop it into the jar. Then on New Years Eve 2021 read all the slips inside the jar. When you are done place them all in a large plastic zipper bag and label them with the year.
What an amazing keepsake to have and look back on for years to come!
