Last week, children returned to classrooms everywhere – youngsters and high school aged alike. University students flooded back to their campuses; many left home for the first time in 17 or 18 years.
Though the summer period offered a refreshing respite from school buses and traffic (LOL), it’s now oddly welcoming to see them trotting back and forth out my window morning and afternoon. I suspect this is due to how embedded “back-to-school” is within North American and other cultures.
That got me thinking… How can we harness this reinvigorated post-vacation energy to “sharpen the pencil” on our eldercare interactions? Here are three considerations.
Identify Your Strengths
Notice I started with effective attitudes and/or actions you DO embody around your stubborn aging parents. I can’t tell you how often my clients get dismayed over their folks’ nasty reactions. Automatically, they go to the belief: I’ve done (or worse, been!) something wrong. NO!!! It’s not necessarily about you, I repeat. Instead, I challenge you to list 25 Positive Traits you bring to the table. Are you gulping yet? Good. Then, make it 50!
Name One Area for Development
ONLY after you’ve enumerated your strengths will I “allow” you to identify only ONE area of improvement in your care-giving attitudes or behaviors. No cheating! I’m watching you J For, I can’t tell you how often participants of a Strengths-Based Workshop I facilitate want to focus on “correcting” their weaknesses. Did you just get the irony? I vehemently refuse to use those words. For me, there exist only areas of growth or opportunity – lessons to be learned.
Determine One Intention
What did you notice as you enumerated your strengths? I surely hope you saw how MUCH you have going for you. In fact, if you didn’t, I want you to return to the drawing board before proceeding. After that, I invite you to describe one intention you’ll implement to enhance even your Un-cope-able Parents relationship. Remember, we’re not talking a laundry list of goals. Rather, what is one forward-movement that will define success for YOU?
What’s Next for You?
Now that we have just over three months left in 2015, it’s a perfect time to plant seeds that extend into the coming year.
Many wait until the New Year to elaborate their resolutions. And, you know how useless I feel those are in contrast to the power of intentions.
To maximize this fall with your elders, book your Readiness Session with me at www.copingwithuncopeableparents.com. If you prefer, you can give me a call at (905) 822-2503 or email at support@carolannhamilton.com
Carol-Ann Hamilton
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