My Parenting Resolutions For 2010
Year in and year out, people get all worked up about making resolutions for the New Year. I have to admit that I am one of them. I just like planning (even if just a little bit) on trying to become a better person. Of course, being a parent is an aspect that I can never ignore, and parenting resolutions are always part of the deal. This year, I have come up with a few resolutions that I would like to give a try. Let me share them with you and let me know what you think.
Have one “distraction-free” day a week. It can even be once a month. The idea is that each member of the family can get to enjoy each other’s company without the usual distractions of TV, video games, computers, and other similar things. Reading together, playing together, preparing meals and eating together – simply communication directly. This should improve relationships between all of us and lessen our dependence on external objects.
Learn to stop being a “fixer.” I have to admit it: I like to fix things and rescue people. I am solution-oriented, and if there is something that is not right, I will immediately do something about it. I guess a lot of parents have the same attitude, especially when it comes to their children. We want to make sure that the children do not have to suffer unnecessarily. We want to do things for our children so that they will have it easy. But you know what? When they get older, they will have to do things on their own. We should help them prepare for that day, and rescuing them all the time is not going to achieve that. Next year, I want to reign myself in in terms of being the rescuer of my kids. That’s not to say that I will stop doing things for them – I am THE mom after all; but my kids will learn to be more independent if I have anything to do with it.
Encourage a healthier lifestyle. From healthier eating to more physical activities – these are things that some children are missing out. We haven’t had too many issues in this regard, but I want to pay more attention to living a healthy lifestyle. Next year, I want my children to experience this lifestyle more in the hopes that they will carry it all throughout their adulthood.
What are your parenting resolutions for 2010?
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January 6th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Great ideas. I definitely agree with #2, being a fixer. It’s common as a parent but we need to learn when to back away! Not everything can be solved by mom, learning to accept that is hard.
January 6th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
My secret to success with resolutions involves promising NOT to do stuff. My grown daughters and I blogged about this. They are betting I won’t make it to MLK day but I know I can do it. I invite you to join us and tell us what you promise NOT to do in 2010. http://raisingamazingdaughters.wordpress.com. Thanks!
January 11th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
I did not make resolutions this year, or rather, have kept them secret… However, healthier lifestyle is on my list, especially with regards to dinner, I’d like to get back to the “Why French Women Don’t Get Fat” method with MORE LUNCH and LESS DINNER!
February 15th, 2010 at 7:43 am
How about this for a new year’s resolution: Protect my kids on the internet, protect their eyes and the sites they visit ?
I came up across this interesting product called Family Nanny, my neighbor recommended it to me, i had a look at on his computer, the program looks like it records everything they kids do, you can see all the web sites they visited and it even allows you to set up parental controls.. Pretty cool stuff.
The link to this amazing software is :
http://parental-internet-control.com/wordpress/
Check it out, they have a free demo version!
March 4th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
I stopped making resolutions a few years back. Its a wonderful idea to think about the prospects of a new year and try to identify things you would like to change in your life. I found that I was putting extra pressure on myself and it was starting to stress me out. I do my best to make the best decisions and try to stay on track in terms of my goals. But in terms of a traditional new years resolution I have opted to give up on what use to be my annual tradition.