To be honest, I have never truly stuck to a New Year’s resolution. And how many people can actually say they have? Resolutions are easy to break but the one benefit of creating a resolution is that it allows us to reflect. What can I do better? Make better? Be better at? How have I struggled and where have I succeeded?
This year, instead of committing to a resolution just to feel the guilt when I break it a few days into the new year, I generated a list of things I would like to be better about in 2020. No one will hold me accountable and I won’t feel guilt if I don’t check off all the boxes.
Parenting in this decade is a struggle. Life is too busy, too fast, and too complex. Here are 10 easy parenting resolutions I plan to make to savor the moments, slow down, and unwind with my children.
1. Unplug more. This one will be difficult for me. I am very much connected to everyone in my life. I truly enjoy the connections so this one is not for me, it’s for my kids. I will continue to take thousands of pictures, but will slow the scroll.
2. Balance my focus between my children AND my husband. We all have had a period where our spouse takes the back burner. It’s reality. The kids need mounds of attention, our jobs are highly stressful, and the house won’t clean itself. I am planning some dates to step away from the chaos and focus on each other.
3. Keep my cool. I will continue to practice patience, peace, and a calm mind. I will have moments of frustration, stress, and chaos. I plan to stay centered and level-headed.
4. Listen more, talk less. My goal is to learn something new about everyone I come in contact with on a daily basis.
5. Keep a tight bedtime routine. This one is for my husband. It’s how we stay sane, how we survive. We need the down-time to unwind and prepare for another day.
6. Go on adventures. This is nothing new for my family. We adventure, we travel, we experience. I hope this year brings us new adventures and lots of memories.
7. Step away from the vacuum. Another challenging task. I have a tendency to follow my children around with a dust buster. I vacuum way too often and my skin crawls when I see crumbs on the ground. This year I am learning to let it go.
8. Play. Not all parents enjoy pretend play and that’s OK. I actually enjoy it very much. My issue is that while I am playing, I have ten thousand post-it note tasks that need to be checked off. I always feel I am wasting time by sitting down and playing. I am changing my mindset. Sitting down and playing is actually the exact opposite of what I perceive it to be. It’s not wasting time, it’s using time wisely. It’s creating memories, living in the moment, teaching, learning, getting to know your kids.
9. Offer more food options. Guys, I’ve gotten pretty lazy with my cooking. I have one excellent eater and the other is ok, solely due to my laziness when it comes to food prep. I want to offer more varieties of foods and try new recipes.
10. Record the memories. As we already went over, I am pretty attached to my phone. 90% of my phone use is taking pictures, which I will never stop doing. I will continue to snap the pictures, write down our memories, e-mail my children (so one day they can log in and read all of my e-mails), and keep digital photo albums. I will never feel sorry for taking too many pictures, for one day we will cling to those memories.
2020 is the start of a new decade. Let’s all try to be a little more positive and balanced. We got this! What are your 2020 resolutions?
