My 2015 New Year’s resolution is Family First! With the New Year comes all the talk about New Year’s resolutions. I usually pick something that I want to NOT do anymore (like no candy). This year I’ve decided that being in the moment with my family is my New Year’s resolution.
As a mother of kids ages 26 down to 12, I’m well aware of how quickly kids grow up and how little time we truly have with them. In 2015, I’m going to look at ways that I can connect more. Distractions and outside commitments seem to always get in the way of being “in the moment”. Here are 5 ways to connect more with your families in 2015. Enjoy!
1. No Cell Phones During Dinner
If your family is anything like mine, everyone has a cell phone. It’s like a hand to my teens, they go nowhere without it. As a family, we have decided that cell phones are no longer allowed at the dinner table. It’s amazing how much more I learn about my children – their likes and dislikes, friends, and school happenings, when they aren’t tethered to their electronic devices.
2. Family Meals
We have so many outside commitments between school functions, football/cheer, and my adult children who live outside of our home that I have mandated a family meal (including my daughter’s fiancé and my son’s girlfriend) once a week. I also have my 12 and 14 year old help with the planning and preparing of this meal so they learn to plan for parties or cook for their family in the future. They also learn to follow recipes and it’s fun to try different things.
3. Family Game Night
When my older kids were young, my husband and I did a Family Game night once a week. It was so much fun and somehow we stopped doing this over the years. We will now doing this at our Family Meal night following dinner. Our family loves to play games, whether board games or xbox – we have a chance to connect with each other. Each of my children will take turns picking what we play once a week.
4. Ask Questions During Conversations
I have found lately that I have conversations with my kids and husband and days later won’t remember the conversation at all. I’m clearly not in the moment when I’m with them. I’m running my own business and always working on that but it’s no excuse and not what I want to look back on when I’m old and grey – well older and greyer! This year I am instituting a rule for myself. I will ask one question in every conversation I have with my children. It helps me to stay present and also enables them to expand on their thought and know I’m listening.
5. Stay active together
Even though my children are very active, we have three dogs and they need walks. This year I want to walk the dogs as a family a couple times a week, at a minimum. This is forced exercise for myself and also another way to connect with my family and help them with regular exercise, no matter what sport they are involved in during the year.
Do you have a 2015 resolution about family? Comment below!
