Renewing With Your Family: A Family Adventure
Making New Year’s Resolutions Together: A Family Tale.
As the mother of 16-year-old twins(you all know by now, lol ), I sometimes think about how every new year offers an extraordinary chance for growth and change. New Year’s resolutions can encourage everyone in the family to become their best selves, but should we be trying to get our children into the habit, or should it wait until they’re grown up?
Why Teen Resolutions Matter
Resolutions are intimidating to younger children: they haven’t yet fully learned what long-term goals mean. Rather than setting impossible resolutions, we should provide fun and accessible ways to practice self-love, such as setting up a gratitude jar or getting them to try a different fruit every week. This way, they will get to know the meaning of self-development without being put under stress.
But with teenagers, things are very different. My 16-year-old twins are old enough to understand the value of resolutions and growth. Reminding them of last year’s achievements and making resolutions for next year fosters continuous growth. New Year’s is not a time; it’s a new beginning, a chance to look back and try to become their best selves.
Creating Family Resolutions: Strengthening Bonds
Rather than pursuing goals on a personal level, our family flourishes when setting resolutions. This year, we are organizing a water-drinking challenge for the family to help promote healthy behaviors while making friends while pushing each other to drink.
*You might want to add a "swear jar" this year, to sanitize our vocab while raising money for a family picnic or charity event. It increases accountability and lightens the resolution process.
*You might make weekly game nights, experiment with new recipes once a month, or tell your family about our thankfulness at dinner time, too.
The Merit of Resolutions
The advantages to teaching children and adolescents to accept resolutions are endless. It teaches them accountability, self-assessment, and responsibility while developing perseverance in pursuit of their ideals and in dealing with disappointment.
Resolutions allow grown-ups to consider themselves in a healthy manner, assuring us that the pursuit of self-enhancement is a constant process. Resolutions give us a way to grow and move forward toward our best.
Potential Pitfalls of Resolutions
You have to accept that New Year’s resolutions have their drawbacks, particularly for children and teens. Goals you’re not realistic about can result in failure, stress, and frustration. We should, therefore, encourage openness and self-checking when making decisions instead of enforcing fixed goals. Life is a wild ride, and recalibrating objectives is essential.
Kid-Friendly Resolutions
For younger children, resolutions can be straightforward and fun, for example:
- Reading at least one new book every month.
- Finding something new to do (painting, gardening, baking)
- Household chores help / Housework
Teen Resolutions
Resolutions that are a bit stronger for teens can include goals that spur real change, such as:
- To learn something new or try a new interest (such as photography or coding)
- Sticking to a regular exercise/mindfulness routine.
- Volunteering in their community
Family-Focused Resolutions
As a family, we can make resolutions such as:
- Going on monthly nature tours The main benefits of going outside are:
- Giving yourself time each week to enjoy non-tech family activities.
- Baking together on a regular basis.
In the End....
New Year’s resolutions can be a great way for anyone to grow and change. When we go through this as a family, we build stronger bonds and teach our children key lessons about responsibility and resilience. Let’s make 2019 a year of growth, laughs, and family memories!
