A Mom’s Hopes for This New Decade

Since New Year’s Day, social media has been inundated with people reflecting on their past year, and more noticeably, their last ten years. I love seeing the side-by-side shots of couples and families showing the difference a decade makes. And it made me start to think about how different my family will look at the end of this new decade – 2029. It’s almost impossible to imagine! But, today, I’m going to try to envision my hopes for this new decade. I have a feeling many moms out there have the same hopes as I do.

Listen More. React Less.

This decade, I’d like to try harder to listen more and react less. There are many times – especially when parenting little ones – where it is easier to do all the talking and the reacting. I catch myself lecturing more often than I’d like to admit. In my heart of hearts, I know it is better to listen before I react or start lecturing, so I am going to make an effort to listen to my kids – especially as they become preteens and teens in this next decade.

Work Less. Make More.

This may seem like an impossible hope, but there are so many people who have found ways to work less (or least, work the same amount instead of working more) and make more. Ideally, this will look like working less but making enough money to maintain my current lifestyle while also having more time at home with my family.

Go All In for My Hobby.

During the hardcore parenting years, it is easy to lose a bit of yourself. You are so caught up in your kid’s hobbies that you lose time for your own. Let’s not let that happen over these ten years. Find the hobby you enjoy and go all in. Think of those people you know who run marathons. They go all in. They don’t just wake up and run a marathon; they spend months training. Treat your own hobby with that much intention and care.

Travel to 10 New Places.

It’s no secret that I love to travel, so this hope for the new decade is no surprise. But I want to be intentional about traveling to at least one new place every year over the next decade. By the end of the decade, I will have added ten more places to my list of places I have visited.

Know My “Whys” and Act Accordingly.

If you catch yourself doing things just because that’s what you’ve always done, it’s time to think about your “whys.” Why do you do it? By understanding your “whys,” you will be more motivated to continue doing them or you will know it is time to stop. For example, your why for working at that job is to pay for your child to attend that particular school.

Get These Kids Through Their School Years.

Maybe one of the craziest (and scariest) things about the next decade for many of us is knowing this is the decade our kids will go through their formative school years. In ten years, we will have seniors in high school or first-year students in college! How is that even possible?!? So, I hope to get my girls through these years with as much grace as possible. I want to be their loudest cheerleader and biggest encourager.

Create 10 Memorable Holidays & Summers.

I remember hearing older moms whose kids have grown up and moved out talk about only having “18 years” and thinking that was crazy talk. But, here I am looking at the end of the decade, and understanding the following decade (the 2030s) will be very different. That’s why I hope to be intentional about the next ten holidays and summers. I want to create memorable holidays and summer vacations for my girls that we will look back fondly on in the future decades. This is the decade my girls will most remember.