Let me first start this post by saying how chaotic my household feels some days living with a 2 year old daughter with unpredictable moods, meltdowns and plenty of opinions . It is no where near perfect. I do not always handle myself gracefully.  I am definitely not always patient. And many times I get the urge to walk away and slam a door. I, like every other parent out there, find myself constantly in the midst of challenging, annoying and frustrating parenting moments. And it’s important for all of us to remember that when we live in this world of constantly comparing ourselves to others.

But even with these moments, we have the flip side. The side that’s more fun to talk about. The side that brings smiles to our faces and makes us so thankful to be alive, crazy moments or not. And that’s where this post comes in….

I have come to find that the connection between gratitude and parenting is more clear than I ever could have realized. I can honestly say that before having my daughter I didn’t understand the true meaning of the word blessed.  Before her, I didn’t realize how quickly time was passing me by. Before her, I took for granted so many things that I have in this world. Before her, I stressed a lot more about nonsense things that have no place for worry. And before her, I lived my life in a much more uptight and inauthentic way.

There are moments every single day when I am in such awe of who this little girl is.  To watch her sleep peacefully at night in her bed. To watch her play without her noticing. To hear her laugh as we tickle each other and play on her bedroom floor. To hear her talk using new words and phrases. And to see her jump into bed with her pj’s on ready to read book after book.  So many times I find that I can’t stop staring at her.  I’m completely and wonderfully in awe….

I’m so incredibly thankful for the adventures we’ve been able to take with our daughter. Believe me, I realize how fortunate we are.   She has already traveled to to more places than some kids will throughout their entire childhood at age two.  To combine my two passions of traveling and my daughter is an inspiring thing.  Having her has changed who I am as a person. I’m more patient. I’m more appreciative. I have more purpose and meaning in my life.  And as we all come to realize that as hard as parenting is, it’s worth every second of frustration we ever have.

So in honor of a new year, here are five lessons I believe your children can teach you that make you more grateful.

1. You stop and appreciate the little every day things.

Children are inspired by little things like pine cones and flowers. The clouds and the moon. Their day is made just by swinging in the park with the sun shining down on their face. In fact, she fell asleep earlier this fall on a nice sunny morning while I pushed her in the swing. When was the last time we fell asleep outside as adults?

I used to feel like we always had to stay busy on the weekends “doing something.”  A weekend wasn’t complete without a visit to all of our favorite shopping establishments 30 minutes away.  But now, I feel I can’t be bothered to drive 30 minutes away for shopping as these things take away from the real moments that I enjoy, and that’s spending time with her. This afternoon, I laid on the living room floor as she gave me a “doctor check-up.” And you know what, it was truly wonderful.  Just “being” was more than enough for me in that moment.  I was appreciating the little things.

2. You become more grateful for experiences rather than things.

We live in a materialistic society. And I’m just as guilty of giving into this culture as the next person (but I blame that on my “hobby” for shopping).  Sure I get caught up in wanting to have an updated kitchen, more shoes in my closet and more toys for her to play with. But when I take a step back, I realize how fortunate I already am without those things. And I’d much rather spend my money taking our family on vacation than replacing our ugly blue kitchen counter tops.

3. You value your time differently. 

Life is busy and full of commitments. My new goal since becoming a parent is to try to have as few commitments as possible. I don’t want activities planned every weeknight. I don’t want work to take over my life. In fact, there’s a quote on my desk at work that says “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”  I try to live true to that every single day.  I love my job, but at the end of the day I want to leave it there.  Time is too precious and the word “busy” has become too glorified.  Each minute of the day is now something to be grateful for. And I’ve decided to become much more choosy with those minutes, with what and who fills them up.

4. Things that used to matter, don’t.

The phrase I try to keep in perspective is “there are bigger fish to fry.” In thinking about how I handle certain moments, there are many times when I get anxious and stressed easily. I try to please everyone and worry about what others think.  But I’m slowing realizing these things don’t matter (the key word there is slowly….I still very much feel like they do matter at times).  But worry is not something I want to pass down to my daughter either. As parents we are the greatest influencers on who these little ones turn out to be.  And I’d much prefer to raise a worry-free child.  What matters to me, is that little person I’m raising becomes her best possible self and lives a happy and healthy life. That’s what matters. Brush the rest off….

5. You see life in new and unexpected ways.

I think children are the greatest teachers in life. Not our actual teachers. Not our bosses. Not our parents. It’s them.  My daughter has taught me more on what matters in life more than anyone else. I’ve become a lot more reflective since becoming a parent and look at life with an entirely new perspective. I get to witness her experiencing all sorts of firsts. And when she does that, it’s like I get the chance to experience it all over again too. And that’s pretty amazing.

I’m so grateful for this chance to be a mom and to learn these lessons from my daughter. Every day, I’m grateful for it. Maybe I don’t feel it in those dramatic toddler meltdown moments or when it takes 1.5 hours for bedtime, but during the snuggles afterward I’m reminded. She makes me smile every single day. She makes me thankful to be alive. And she makes me so incredibly happy.

So during this time of making new year resolutions,  remind yourself of these things. Remind yourself how fortunate you are to have a little one that makes you realize just how blessed you are.  Remind yourself of those who have lost a child and whose hearts ache for even one more morning push in the swing.  Remind yourself to live in the moment with them and be grateful for every minute.  Remind yourself to catch those awe-inspiring moments. If you keep your eyes open, you may just realize how grateful you are.

From my family to yours, wishing you a very grateful year!