Resolutions for the Holidays

As we enter the crazy season of holidays, vacations, and resolutions, I’ve been thinking about how our parenting skills can get out of whack and take a beating during this time. Below is a list of holiday and New Year’s resolutions to ponder.

I resolve to live by the “Less is More” motto.

Less is more toys – let’s just start there. During this season of gift-giving, let’s all be mindful that the junk we buy our family becomes the junk we have to nag our kids to pick up. The less you have in your house, the less you have to pick up. Remember too that most kids’ favorite game is to fight with their sibling as close to a parent as possible; no Legos needed for that game to work.

I resolve to have realistic expectations.

If you have little kids and you travel on vacation, don’t expect much sleep. If you have kids and it’s a holiday, expect runny noses, sore throats, and headaches. If you have kids and you go to a holiday party, expect sugar highs and bedtime lows. If you have tweens, expect that the sweater or book you bought them is completely dorky and for losers. If you have teens, expect them to either be out with their friends or asleep. If you have family traditions with tweens and teens, expect eye rolls, groans, and sarcasm. Keep doing the tradition, but expect the push back. Expect these things, and you will have an easier time dealing with them. 

I resolve to take care of myself.

Nag yourself to make your own bed, clean your own room, go outside for some fresh air, find a playdate, take a nap, eat something healthy, practice your musical instrument, or read a book. Need I say more?

I resolve to be grateful.

We live in a culture where it’s never enough. Never enough money, never a good enough education, never a clean enough house, never a healthy enough meal. We live with an attitude of scarcity. Let’s buck the system and resolve to be grateful for what we have. Let’s live with an attitude of gratitude.  A roof over your head, food to eat, lights that turn on, and a little money in the bank is a lot more than most of the world has. 

I resolve to volunteer.

The best way to get that attitude of gratitude is to volunteer your time and services. You don’t even have to get ‘official’:  shovel a neighbor’s walk, have your child decorate a homemade card for a relative’s birthday, take a dish to the folks down the street with a new baby, pick up some trash in front of the bus stop. There’s always a way to pitch in, and almost guaranteed you will feel better.

In conclusion.

The holidays are part magic and part drudgery, part delight and part exhausting.  Resolve to abide by one or two of these resolutions and see if you can glide through the season with more grace and gratitude.