5 New Year's Resolutions for a Happier Family by Rebecca Eanes
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A fresh new year is upon us. Let us resolve to make this year one of connection and love with these 5 resolutions.
1. Make your marriage a priority.
Research shows that happy marriages make happier kids. Rekindle the romance by flirting, being playful, going on dates, or just spending time alone once the kids are in bed. It's easy to let the hectic parenting life draw us away from our partners, so we have to be intentional to maintain this important relationship.
2. Commit to yelling less.
Again, the research is piling up on the harmful effects yelling can have on our families – especially our kids. There is a space between stimulus and response – between your child's action and your reaction – that, when mindfully harnessed, provides the space for you to calm down and respond rather than react. Practice expanding that space a little every day.
We love our smartphones, iPads, and social networking sites, but it can be easy to tune out our families when we're plugged in all the time. If you want a happier, closer family, commit to some "unplugged time" daily. Put away all the gadgets, shut down the computer, and connect with your spouse and your kids for some time each day with no distractions. Purposefully leave some empty spaces on the calendar to just be together and enjoy each others company.
4. Take better care of yourself.
Your needs are important, too, and it's no secret that we can give more of ourselves when we are healthy and refreshed. Make it a priority to get the exercise and sleep your body needs as well as ensuring you have some time each week to do something just for you. If you have to drop some less important tasks or commitments to make that happen, don't feel guilty for doing so.
5. Build and honor family traditions and rituals.
Traditions and rituals unique to your family gives everyone the feeling of being part of something special and create a wonderful sense of belonging. Many treasured memories lie in family rituals. Rituals help us identify who we are both as an individual and as a family; they provide something constant, stable, and secure in a confusing world. These traditions and rituals don't have to be complex or expensive, just a little something that says "home."
