Do-Over

Sometimes, I wish I had one of those industrial-size shredders that they used in New York recently to get rid of all the mistakes I’ve made in the past year.

But unlike the convenience of “ Good Riddance Day ,” an event sponsored by the Times Square Alliance to allow people to shred bank statements, papers with bad grades, hate letters and other painful mementos, it’s impossible to take back the mean words I uttered or those moments when I chose to ignore a problem instead of rising to the challenge.

I feel especially bad about those times I snapped at my kids because I was tired or trying desperately to multitask. I also regret those hours that I spent slaving away at my computer instead of going outside with them to play. I vowed to do better this past year but I failed in so many respects.

Regrets aren’t healthy, I know, but at least we can try to learn from our mistakes.

So now that we’re embarking on a new year, please share with us a bit of parenting wisdom. In terms of raising kids, if you could do one or two things over again, how would you do it differently?