Somehow I blinked and a new school year has begun, it’s fall and life is moving along faster than I can keep up with. I’ve had many thoughts which never made it down on paper.
And here we are - post Rosh Hashana - the Jewish new year. A time to reflect and reassess.
As I reflected on the idea of forgiveness - it dawned on me that I have recently had an epiphany about the best way I’ve learned to deal with issues. I wish I could say I’ve put the idea into practice well in my own life but let’s just say it’s a work in progress.
There are three As when it comes to resolving issues or arguments for me.
Acknowledge
Apologies
Advance
Step 1- Acknowledge: own up to whatever it is you’ve done. It can be embarrassing to do this. Sometimes your mistake seems obvious so you wonder why there’s a need to discuss it. I believe owning it is the most crucial step towards a resolution.
Step 2 - Apologize: it doesn’t need to be grand or a huge deal. Two small words usually do the trick. If you can manage to get a thought in about either where you went wrong or how you hope to avoid it in the future - bonus!
Step 3 - Advance: move on! Rehashing, restating, repeating - it all gets you nowhere but to the land of regret which is an unpleasant place to dwell. The sooner you can put the past in the past - the sooner you’ll be on your way to a better day.
Parenting with this mindset will give your kids such a healthy way to deal with both your mistakes and their own.
Wishing everyone a new year filled with fresh beginnings and constant recleaned slates.
