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2015 Parenting Resolutions

posted by LaToya on January 17, 2015

If you believe some of the old wives tales it is said that who you celebrated with and how you spent New Years Eve is indicative of your year to come. I was fortunate to be with family and friends eating and being merry so I am going to take it as a good sign for 2015. I am still in a bit of disbelief that we are already half way through January. There is something about having a baby that makes time speed by without you even noticing.

By now, you’re probably settling in to the new year. You’ve successfully adjusted to typing 2015 vs 2014. I, however, am just getting around to writing my New Year resolutions. I make a point to pen them every year. Writing them down and posting them in my office is my personal committment to  making them happen as well as a daily reminder as the days/months tick by. For a myriad of reasons, resolutions have gotten a bad rep over the years. There are, in fact, many people who will urge you NOT to make resolutions. I think this is mainly because folks make lofty goals that they never intend to carry out and by March you’re depressed that you’ve made no headway. I sit on the other side of the fence and find no problem in making resolutions. They are realistic yearly goals based on my reflections of the previous year. We should always be striving to be better and do better and clearly defining how we intend to do that makes perfect sense to me. I am therefore a fan of resolutions!

This year my resolutions included some personal goals and for the first time ever Parenting Resolutions!!! I figured I would share the parenting resolutions with all of you as further commitment to my desire to achieve them. In no particular order, I, LaToya Harris, do resolve that in 2015 I will:

  1. Live in the moment and have more FUN!  I am truly looking forward to this one. Ever wonder why children are so carefree? Well, it’s because they live in the moment. They aren’t worried about what could happen 15min from now or what someone may think about this or that. They also play hard.  They hold nothing back. I am going to work on getting on my children’s level and having fun their way. The next time my daughter packs up all her toys in her backpack and overnight bag and declares she is going on a trip on her favorite rocket ship I’m going to pack my bag too. I guarantee my daughter will love it! This also means I’m going to work hard to disconnect from my digital friends (laptop, cell, tablet, etc) and be fully engaged; focused 100% on them. My oldest can already tell when I am half paying attention and I should be teaching her that I value our time together and I hear her when she speaks.
  2. Try at least one new recipe for meal time each month. Meal planning does not rank very high on my list of favorite things. In fact, if someone could give me a whole month of simple (30min or less) meals to cook I would be ecstatic. I find myself cooking the same things over and over. It can be quite boring especially since we really only eat chicken or ground turkey. I want to challenge myself to add some new dishes to my toolbox. I know my family would appreciate the remix to the usual dinner line-up.
  3. Maintain consistency with bedtime. I know we can’t be the only ones that struggle with this one so stop the judging. Bedtime is 8:30pm and by that I mean lights out and in the bed at 8:30pm. We cut it close during the week and on the weekends it is more miss than hit. Routine is important for kids and so is getting enough sleep so we definitely have to do better. You can easily tell the mornings after a night that went past 8:30pm. Talk about a whine and cheese fest. 
  4. Begin and complete night time potty training. We’ve been putting off taking the plunge on this one for awhile now. Mainly because night time potty training also means weaning from milk right before bed. But it’s time. I think physically (at 3 y/o) she is at the point where we will have success. Now we all just need to mentally prepare. Being delivered from night time pull-ups will be a major VICTORY.
  5. Put my pictures to use. I have about a thousand pictures on my phone. I have a few thousand more on my computer. Yet I have ZERO photo albums (FB albums and IG do not count) of my kids. That is sad. This year I WILL make a few “hold in your hand” keepsakes. Even if that means paying someone else to do it for me.  I really enjoy trips down memory lane going through my mom’s photo albums. I know the kids will get a kick out of doing the same when they are older. 
  6. Trust my instincts. I’m getting better and better at this resolution. This can be especially difficult when you’re a brand new mom. You stay in this zone of uncertainty constantly wondering what to do and then when you finally decide you worry if the decision you’ve made will scar your little person for life.  I imagine this will make the list each and every year. Ever since I had my first I’ve been repeating it to myself. At the end of the day God has equipped me with this mommy sixth sense and I just need to trust it. Everything is gonna be alright and I am doing just fine.
  7. Practice patience. If there is ever a time to practice patience its the second you find out you are with child. These little munchkins will work your every last nerve all with a cute little drool smile on their faces. You have to learn to return the smile (minus the drool) and keep it cool and calm because they are watching and taking notes. I thought I had a good deal of patience until my daughter turned three. I realized that day that I had a long way to go. By the time we make it to 4y/o I will have surpassed Job and Ghandi.
  8. Multi-task LESS. Nope. Not a typo. I want to multi-task L-E-S-S! I know it is a highly desirable skill in the workplace but I’m beginning to think that the more I multi-task the more drained I feel. This goes hand in hand with #1 too. And besides that just what exactly is gained? It only moves more things on the to-do list for today that would have been on the list for tomorrow anyhow. Just a cursory search on multi-tasking and its negative impact yields a great deal of results stating everything from poor attention, depression, anxiety, stress and even memory loss. I don’t have time for any of that! And just how much can you enjoy any given thing if you’re doing 3 things at once? I’m going to stop multi-tasking my life away.
  9. Give in to the MESS! A little. The need for organization and tidiness runs deep in my blood. I absolutely ♥ having a clean house. HOWEVER, I am ready to admit that when I let go of the pressure to constantly straighten and clean life seems a little more calm. I can literally wear myself out trying to keep the floors clean, the couch cushions (on the couch) fluffed, and the toys put away. And many of these are never ending tasks so what’s the rush to get them done today vs. tomorrow. NOTHING! Therefore, I resolve to be okay with a little tiny mess every now and then! I can redistribute the time to #1 or #10. 
  10. Steal more mom-ME time! Yep I said it! I need to find more “ME” time where I am doing nothing for anyone other than myself. I use the word steal because that is what it will take. There is never a time when there isn’t something productive that I could be doing. I will have to neglect/delay/delegate something else in order to take that time back for myself. However, being a great mom and wife means taking care of ME as well. Its necessary and I need not feel guilty for taking that time.

If you made resolutions this year , were any of them focused on being a better parent? What is (or would be) at least one thing on your parenting resolution list?  Can you relate to any of my resolutions? I would love to hear from you!

 

*feature image courtesy www.hdwallpapersimages.com

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