I was not sorry to see the backside of 2008.

But when I got into the car the other day, I realized that if 2008 was absolutely not 2000-great, then why should 2009 be 2000-whine?

I credit my 5-year-old for detangling my knot of negativity by forcing me to listen to the "High School Musical" soundtracks over and over and over again.

Normally, my afternoon commute begins with a catch-up on how much the economy sucks, in what manner one group of people has attacked another, and on a good day, how some miraculous person has triumphed over adversity.

The other day, however, I'd forgotten to switch on the news after I dropped my daughter off in the morning, and as a result, my post-work stress was blasted away by the oh-so-apropos grumping of one of the usually perky Wildcats: "How'd we get from the top of the world to the bottom of the heap?"

Yep. Even those perpetually positive high schoolers can have a lousy day at work. But do they let it get them down long? No. Before I'd made it out of the parking lot, they'd realized that all they had to do was "work, work, work this out."

And I realized that all I had to do was stage a musical at the office and everything will be OK. Kidding. There's a reason I'm a dedicated AUDIENCE member at the annual Gridiron show.

The real revelation was that things do work out. The results aren't always ideal and often unexpected, but simply going into free-fall isn't an option. My kids just wouldn't stand for it. I know. I've tested the theory. They expect their needs to be met. Period. They're also very persistent about their wants.

So when I look at the past year through the mom lens, the picture is a lot different. The battles were a lot more intense, but so were the triumphs.

My daughter entered kindergarten and has started learning to read and write. This Christmas, she diligently made a card for everyone in the family. In every single one, she'd printed, "Merry Christmas Ashlyn."

My 12-year-old also gave us a pleasant holiday surprise. On the day of his Christmas show, he got caught up on his schoolwork just in time to take the stage with his class where he grabbed a microphone; and as I listened to his voice coming from the speakers, I realized that he's somehow developed some confidence and maturity that had escaped my notice in our day-to-day interaction.

No matter what life throws at me, I suspect my kids are always going to find a way to keep me smiling. Rather than letting the doom and gloom carry into the next year, it's time to charge up the cameras and start zooming in on the things that are working.

When she's not being a journalist, Treena Shapiro is busy with her real job, raising a son and daughter. Check out her blog at www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs