10 New Year’s Resolutions for Parents

New Year’s is often a time of year everyone looks forward to. It signifies the end of your year, and makes you recall and assess how it went. More often than not, the best thing about New Year is the chance to start afresh–a clean slate, if you will. It’s a chance for new beginnings. 

With this being said, the New Year is also a time for resolutions. New Year’s resolutions have been a common trend for the longest time now. It’s basically reflecting upon your past year and deciding the things you want to change. It’s about making a list of things you’re going to start or stop doing, and implementing it. However, not everyone gets to keep or complete their New Year’s resolution for the entire year.

According to U.S. News & World Report, 80 percent fail to keep their New Year’s resolution by the month of February. But, this also means there are 20 percent who successfully keep their New Year’s resolutions throughout the year, whether they be students, employees, or parents. 

Specifically for parents, there’s a really huge advantage in keeping your New Year’s resolutions—you get to keep pushing yourself to be better parents for your children. This way, you also get to make sure that the incoming year is in your favor. After all, you can’t simply just expect change without doing a little bit of action, which is why keeping your New Year’s resolution is the perfect way to start. 

The following are some New Year’s resolutions for parents:

Put a cap on your workday

This is a good resolution to have, especially for the sake of your children, because this makes them feel like they’re your top priority. Putting a cap on your workday basically means making sure to leave anything work-related at your office, and being physically and mentally present at home.. 

This is an important resolution not just for your family, but also for yourself. It’s necessary to take breaks from time to time to be able to regain the energy you lose at work, and to have a healthy mental state. As a parent, this is really significant because you can’t properly look after your kids if you’re constantly drained and tired, on top of having to worry about work. Putting a cap on your workday also gives you a lot of free time to focus on the household and on your family.

Reserve quality time for your children

Out of all the love languages, quality time is the most crucial and most important thing you can give your children. Just being completely present–emotionally, mentally and physically–is the best thing you can give them. 

In this fast-paced world where time is crucial, being able to give that to your children would make them feel most loved. In this way, you’re telling them that even amidst the hectic demands of life, you would always find time for them–and that would mean the world to your children! 

This is one of the New Year resolutions that’s good for parents to implement because if you were able to successfully do this throughout the year, your relationship with your children would drastically improve.

Eat dinner together at least three times a week

There’s just something significant about eating meals together as a family, which is why this is a really good New Year’s resolution to have! 

With this gesture, you’re implying that you want to get involved in your children’s lives, and you genuinely want to know how their day or week went. Talking about your week, laughing together, and generally just connecting with your family is one of the most underrated forms of intimacy when it comes to your family. 

Keeping this resolution throughout the year would certainly also make your children reassured that you genuinely care about what’s going on in their lives.

Talk less, listen more

It’s important to be able to learn to listen for the sake of actually listening to what your children are saying, and not just to respond. This is also an important New Year’s resolution for the reason that you’re putting their needs above your own, which is a selfless act by itself. 

By listening, you’re showing them that not only do you care, but also that their feelings are valid and what they say matters. As your children are in the formative years, being listened to would take a significant effect on their self-esteem as they grow up. 

Nobody ever wants to feel like their feelings are being invalidated, especially your children. 

Pray together as a family

Prayers are possibly the purest form of love because it shows you’re putting God as the core foundation of your entire family. Praying together shows that you’re integrating your values and faith in the family, which then leads to blessed home. 

When you pray as a family, there’s a certain kind of intimacy in that simple act. Whether it’s before meals or before bed, it’s important for parents to follow through with this resolution throughout the year. There’s also a simple saying that goes, “The family that prays together, stays together.” 

Always encourage your children

There’s nothing more disheartening to your children than when you’re using the wrong set of words that may tend to be hurtful (to their feelings and to their growth, as well). One of the most important things you should cultivate as a parent is the environment of your children, and encouraging words are part of that. 

Saying kind and encouraging words to children uplifts their spirit and makes them believe in themselves. In this way, they would feel the support that they need from a parent, and in turn, this would also have a positive impact on their growth and relationship with you. 

Go to church as a family

Sundays are usually family day, and it’s a great habit and practice to go to church with your entire family. This resolution is a good way to integrate your faith into your family–especially your children’s–life.

When you go to church with family, it gives you the perfect start for the rest of the week. It would also be able to strengthen your foundation as a family.

Have weekly family activities

Family movie nights are a perfect example of a weekly family activity to bond together with your children. This way, it excites them to get to spend time with you while watching a good movie and some popcorn. After the movie, you could even talk about the story’s premise and plot twists over some ice cream or during the drive home.

Another good activity could be family game nights, which is also really engaging, especially since children always love playing games. You could always find a good activity the whole family can enjoy. What’s important is the time you spend and memories you share with your children.

Put down your gadgets

In this digital age, it’s ironic how easy it is to be so disconnected on a personal level with our loved ones, seeing that we’re so caught up with our phones and our work. 

Disconnecting from your gadgets for a period of time is a good New Year’s resolution to follow because it gives you control of the time you spend with your children, without distractions. Putting your phones aside, whether in meals or in activities, means you’re putting all your focus on your kids instead of talking on the phone, reading emails, or catching up on social media.

Truth be told, is it more important to know that a girl you went to high school with is “feeling blessed” with another designer purchase than knowing and paying attention to your kids?

Always go to their school events

We do get it. Sometimes, work is so hectic that you can’t participate in your kid’s school events. However, attending events, which involve your children would make them feel like you’re not only supporting, but you want to get involved in their academic life, as well.

Whether it be a sports event, a parent-teacher conference, or a recital, being there for your children gives them security in knowing that you care about how they’re excelling and succeeding, even in their small accomplishments and involvements. 

Conclusion

In the end, keeping New Year’s resolutions would always be one of the most challenging things in this world. After all, everything around us is constantly changing, and being consistent with these resolutions can be really tough to keep for an entire year. But, it’s important to remember that keeping these have long-term benefits in your family life. 

Doing these won’t be easy. It’s going to be a struggle, and there may be times when you would forget why you’re doing these in the first place. However, your family, and you yourself, would change for the better upon doing these. 

Never give up on your resolutions, especially knowing that your family and children are the most important aspects in your life. And, constantly doing and keeping these throughout the year gives a certain satisfaction, knowing that you’re trying to be a better parent every day.

It’s going to be hard, but as you witness the outcome of your resolutions, with your children growing up into loving, confident, and wholesome people, you would then realize that all the challenges were worth it. 

In addition, once doing these resolutions becomes a habit, it won’t feel like a challenge anymore! It’s going to eventually be natural for you as a parent, to the point that when you miss out on just one of these, you would feel as if something’s missing.