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Happy New Year! I wish each of you a healthy, happy, and fulfilling one. For just a moment, please bear with me as I indulge in a bit of bully pulpit preaching. For over thirty years, I had the blessing and curse of telling people what to do (after considering the evidence and analyzing the law), and it’s a hard habit to break. In these challenging  and often angry times, I urge you to practice and model considerate behavior, patience, and compassionate kindness (especially while wearing your AFCC cap). Inevitably, at some time someone will act in a way that is less than kind toward each of us. When someone cuts in front of you in the grocery store, cuts you off on the road, or takes the parking space you were waiting for, please, instead of reacting  with anger, act with kindness borne out of patience and understanding. Perhaps the transgressor is not fully present in the moment for any number of reasons; they just came from the funeral of a loved one, are rushing to get to the hospital to visit a sick child or they just learned that they have a serious illness. Remember that everyone may be facing unseen challenges. Give the benefit of a doubt that their behavior is based not on selfishness or deliberate rudeness, but on human frailty. Wish them well. By responding with empathy instead of anger, we can help make the world a better place.

Working with court-involved families can be incredibly demanding, often leaving us feeling isolated as we race from appointment to appointment, trying to squeeze in time for progress notes and reports. In the midst of that whirlwind, we may long for connection with colleagues—not just for stress relief, but to gain valuable perspective and have a sounding board. Yet, all too often, that need slips down our list of priorities. So why is that connection with peers so essential?