HELP YOUR KIDS ACHIEVE MORE THIS YEAR WITH SIMPLE, ACTIONABLE GOALS
DON’T DO ALL THE WORK FOR THEM. While it’s important for you to help your kids formulate their goals, be sure that you aren’t taking over. If they’re ultimately responsible for their resolutions, they’ll feel more compelled to keep them. Instead, suggest different goal areas they could improve, such as home, school, or sports, and let them elaborate. When it comes to creating habits, nobody is perfect, so even if your kids falter on their goals in the middle of February, don’t worry. The important thing is that you continue to encourage them every step of the way.
With every new year comes an opportunity to reinvent ourselves or start down a new path toward self-improvement. Making resolutions is a big part of many families’ New Year’s traditions, and parents often have a desire for their kids to take part in that tradition when they’re old enough. Following through on resolutions is tough, especially for young children, but with your help, they can achieve their goals. PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH. You are your children’s role model for almost everything, including following through on New Year’s resolutions. So, ask yourself if you follow through on your own resolutions. When you proclaim that you will read more books or finally get a gym membership,
do you actually try to do it? Your kids will assign as much importance to New Year’s resolutions as you do, so by sticking to your own commitments, you can help them stay on track too. KEEP THINGS SIMPLE AND ACHIEVABLE. When your kids are forming their resolutions, their first attempts will probably be very broad. Statements like “I want to be more kind” or “I will try to help more around the house” incorporate good values but don’t include any actionable steps. Help your kids think of tangible ways to act on those goals. For example, if they want to be tidier, a good resolution might be for them to clean their room once a week or take responsibility for one household chore every day.
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: ERIN OUR DEDICATED CLINICAL MANAGER
When she started dental assistant school, Erin had her eye on a big goal: to touch as many lives as she could. Patient by patient, she wanted to make the world a better place, and, after dipping her toes into multiple dental fields, she settled on orthodontics. “I really liked the fact that in all areas of dentistry, you are impacting people’s lives, and orthodontics is one of the areas you can have the biggest impact on someone by helping them feel better about themselves,” she said. “I also enjoy that, working in orthodontics, you get to work a bit more independently and see more procedures done. It’s not just the same routine fillings and crowns!” Erin had braces as a child, so she was familiar with both the complex process and life-changing results. After dental assistant school, she dove into her job as a dental hygienist and worked hard for five years. When she and her husband, Jason, had their youngest son, Jax, she decided to take a break from her career to work as a stay-at-home mom. Then, when Jax turned 6,
Erin took the job of clinical manager here at Marshall Orthodontics and returned to the field she loves.
Today, Erin makes sure our clinic runs smoothly. She helps patients schedule their appointments, works on projects in the lab (including getting our new 3D printer system up and running), and even assists chairside when necessary. “My favorite part about my job is getting to work closely with Dr. Marshall and the other orthodontic assistants. I feel like I’ve really developed a good relationship with them and can help act as a liaison,” she says. “I also like that I get to watch our patients evolve from the start of their treatments with us. Some of them are fairly young, and I like to watch them grow and their smiles change. Adults who are self-conscious develop a love of their smiles, and their self-confidence blossoms over their time with us.” When she’s not at the office, you can probably find Erin driving Jax to school and karate classes or with Jason working on a reclaimed wood project.
Erin, from all of us here at Marshall Ortho, thank you for all you do!
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