When my boys were in preschool and first grade, I heard a lot about the importance of praise. I was thrilled to discover the handout, 100 Ways to Praise, which I promptly fastened to my refrigerator. I was working on shifting my attention from the stuff that drove me crazy – one boy whining for a glass a milk while another poked his brother in the ribs, to noticing pleasant

Parents, you have shown herculean efforts to survive the pandemic as you adjusted and pivoted to meet the needs of work and children. You conducted Zoom meetings in your bedroom to avoid the noise of a kindergarten tantrum. You joined a conference call outside in the chilly winter air so your teenager could finish a geometry test on your laptop. You took breaks from work to make sandwiches for lunch

Who would have predicted the year 2020 and the challenges it would place on parents? Who could have imagined, one year ago, that parents would become experts in e-learning? Or in video conferencing? Or in following daily CDC guidelines? Now, as we turn the page to a new year, give yourself credit for all you have done to survive. It is natural for people, especially parents, to focus on all