School fees, stationery, pencils on paper, leaving long, relaxing days and for Math, verbs and that mean teacher can stress anyone out.  Is it too early to think about going back to school? Never.  I used to be excited for the new school year, every year. Why? The holidays aren’t just holidays, it is working, serving customers, chores, chores, and then a bit of holiday and back to work.  Also, reuniting with my friends was a big part of my excitement, along with the smell of fresh books and new pens.  How simple life was.

Don’t be too hard on your geniuses in the coming weeks.  Enrolment, and choosing subjects that will direct their lives is a stressful time for teenagers.  Going to the ‘big school’ as a five- or six-year-old is a new world.  It can be a scary world out there.  Being left at daycare while your mother or father works a full-time job is a necessity these days.  Let’s all take it one day at a time.  Imagine being on holiday for two months as an adult, you won’t know how to work the guillotine, scan, or binder machine when you return to work.  

Not every child is built the same.   Comparison is a confidence killer.   Tough love and negative talk are not love.  This year, parents must relearn and unlearn many things that we adopted from our parents.   Take the good and leave the bad in 2023.

Rewiring the brain is possible.  It is an inside job. If you are going to quit anything in 2024, quit thinking small, quit self-sabotaging, and tell yourself that you and your family deserve every good thing in life.  Life isn’t a fairy tale otherwise it would be heaven on Earth.  

 We can all manage ourselves, whatever happens to us is outside our control.  We can live good lives; we are worthy of love and success.  We can be honest individuals and be incorruptible no matter how big the bribe or sweet the temptation.     

 Remind ourselves that this is a new year, 365 days, and a million chances to do the right thing.  We can slowly and surely kindly talk to ourselves, that our actions matter, and that each of those choices has a consequence.   We can change careers, earn more money, join new groups, and disconnect from old friends or new people who are not supportive.  We can volunteer at church, youth, or school for things we know will help others.  We can save more money if we weren’t so good at it in 2023.  Whatever little improvements or changes that we can manage, possible.  While we enjoy another peaceful Sunday Samoa, remember little changes and the right choices have a huge impact on not just ourselves but our families.