New Year Resolutions…. Well this is a term we often hear or read about! Infact, it has become a fashion to set New Year Resolutions as if your life is going to format itself or someone is going to press the reset button on the first of the year!

Making New Year resolutions that we often break is quite common, isn’t? Why not make a difference in the coming year? Why not keep those resolutions that are not only realistic but transform our lives positively?

Help yourself create a list and write your New Year Resolutions to follow them throughout the year. In fact, you can continue to stick to these resolutions for many more years to come.

I have come up with one such list that I believe can help you too. These are very simple yet effective resolutions that people generally ignore because of their ignorance. These resolutions, if followed religiously, can transform you into a better Parent and most importantly, a better individual.  So, here it goes!

7 Best Resolutions for the New Year 2018

1. Create some Electronics-free Zone for Yourself: The gadgets were made to make our work easy but unfortunately, today people have become the slaves of these so-called “meant to help” electronics. Create some electronics-free zone for yourself, especially when you hit the bed. As per research, more and more people are becoming prey to sleep disorders like insomnia, etc. because of too much exposure to screen time. Ditch your gadgets completely when you hit the bed. Don’t make its clock or alarm functionality an excuse to keep it at your reach while you sleep. I know it’s gonna be tough initially for people like me who can read for hours thinking ‘just 5 more mins.’ 😛 🙁 but believe me what’s the fun in a resolution if that is easy to follow. Isn’t it?

Another electronics-free zone can be the dining area. Make strict rules in the family that no devices should be used while having meals. Switch off the gadgets, TV or any other electronic device during meals. Many mothers find it easy to make kids eat while they watch TV but aren’t we spoiling them? Are we not sowing the seeds of a wrong practice into their mind from their childhood itself? Definitely a food for thought!

2. Start a Weekly Practice to Spend Time Together: Start a weekly practice to spend time together with your family. It can either be a visit to the park, temple or taking up any entertainment activity like a movie night or a game at home itself. The idea is to have something as a weekly regime in your schedule and follow it without fail.

Enjoy the bowl of popcorn sitting on a couch sitting with your spouse spending a lazy evening watching a movie. Not every weekend is meant for outing. Isn’t it?

You can even show your kids a family movie, which you used to enjoy as a kid or can show them their favorite animation movie. Bring out the child in you. Let your kids know that you are equally involved in what they love to do.

You can also try playing games that as a family, everyone can enjoy and to your surprise you can’t even imagine how much fun it would be.

3. Exercise Together: Make sure you plan an exercise regime with your kids. Of course that doesn’t mean you drag your kids to the gym to workout. The basic idea is to create fun. You can take your kids for an evening walk or some dance or yoga classes. Yes, exercising is a tough resolution for New Year to stick with, so make sure you don’t miss it. Your kids will surely enjoy exercising with you.

4. Add more Vegetables to the Plate: It is rather a tough job for kids to do than said. You can see tears rolling over their cheeks when they see green vegetables. Make it interesting and turn the whole thing into a game. For example, you can assign some points every time your kids eat a particular vegetable. You can give away prizes at the end of the month in the form of some extra television time, buy a toy etc.

5. Stop texting while driving: Yes, this is for us as parents, we should avoid texting or taking calls while driving. More than our words, kids learn by our actions. By texting or taking calls while driving, we are passing on this wrong practice to our kids too.

6. Ask for Help: Don’t be afraid of asking help. Irrespective of the fact that you are a working or a non-working mother, if you are finding it difficult to complete a task by yourself, don’t be feared to ask for help from family, friends or professional help services. Remember, the vent of your failure in completing those tasks will ultimately affect the way you deal with your kids thereby, shaping their behavior as well. It’s upto you whether you want to bring up loving, affectionate and empathic children or insecured, arrogant and undisciplined ones!

7. Read More: There is no better blessing than the love of reading. If you are blessed with the one, good but if not, try to develop the habit of reading. Start with reading a simple page of a book but make it a routine. The key is, it will not only enlighten your thoughts but will also take you away from the daily chores of the routine life. The time you spend in reading will be your “me” time. That will take you away from the world and help you unwind yourself. Another positive side would be, your kids will follow you too!

Apart from these, do not forget to praise your child for everything they do right. Make them feel important, do not ignore them, involve them in every task that you think they can do. Help them learn how to save the environment by saving water, electricity etc. Make sure you do not scold them, if they are wrong, try to understand them and make them understand and learn from their mistakes. Your children need your attention always, so try to be with them and for them. Time just flies away with kids. Your kid will never be of the same age again. Enjoy every minute and make most of your time with them.

Well, the list is never ending, but these are definitely the most important ones I have in my New Year Resolutions list. I am determined to give my kids more of fun, more of love and most importantly more of my Quality Time. Are you?