PARENTAL ADVICE
Why Not Pledge to Cut Yourself Some Slack In the New Year ?
By James GUTTMAN
2018
I never cared much for new year ’ s resolutions . While the premise behind them is positive , the timing never seems to make sense . If I ’ m planning on making productive changes to my life , why wait until a certain date to begin ? Even if you do , why assign a strict year-long time period to achieve them ?
It seems counterproductive to add additional time requirements to already difficult goals that you ’ re struggling with already . Losing weight , quitting smoking , or learning to parasail are hard enough on their own . Giving yourself preset start and end dates make them just that much tougher .
For that reason , I don ’ t make new year ’ s resolutions for myself , and I definitely don ’ t make them as it relates to both of my kids . That includes my nine-yearold daughter , who is not on the autism spectrum , or my six-year-old nonverbal son , who is .
It ’ s easy to want to , though . I sit there watching the ball drop at midnight and try to flash forward to the next year ’ s festivities . What will our lives be like by then ? Could my son be reaching all the heights I know he can ? Can I finally check “ yes ” on some of those yearly progress surveys at his school ?
Questions like that exist all year and not just on December 31 . They become a part of my internal dialogue as Lucas ’ s dad . They don ’ t overwhelm or consume me , but they ’ re there . Watching another father with his grown son — whether on or off the spectrum — will make me wonder where my son will be when he ’ s the same age .
Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 71 | 9