Resolutions for the Entire Family

What resolutions are you going to make this year? It¹s part of our annual ritual and not a bad idea. It¹s a fresh new year and good time to take stock, be thankful, and look ahead at what we can do better this year. But here¹s my plea: I want us to resolve to be better parents.

We might as well begin in a place: better health for the entire family. I want us to resolve to eat better, and rest and exercise more. Not just for our own sakes, either, but for our children's. The way we eat and exercise is how they will. We are their best teachers on living a healthy lifestyle and it matters now more than ever. About half of American children are overweight and a third of them, obese. This may be devastating to them in the future and we must stem this tide.

So let us resolve to get out more and watch TV less. If we sit and stare at the tube day after day we will teach our children to do the same. We may need to make some lifestyle changes to keep our blood pressure and sugar down, and our heart happy and healthy. It begins with getting more exercise. Avoiding fatty foods, booze, cigarettes and all of that really can be a lifesaver and our children will benefit from our good decisions.

If you see my wife and me out walking, jumping on a trampoline, shooting hoops, or throwing the football, just smile and know that we are fighting to add years to our lives. The fact that the kids might be walking or playing with us is very nice icing on the cake.

Santa brought us a trampoline this Christmas. Well, you know they insisted we jump on it, too. The first time I jumped, I was winded and my heart racing after about three minutes. So I¹m determined to stay longer and longer to build up the old cardiovascular. We must outsmart gravity or it will pull us down into the cushions of the couch, and then even lower.

This brings us to another resolution: to play with our kids more than ever. Not just quality time, but quantity time, too. Kids spell love t-i-m-e and there is no substitute for it. It is a challenge to keep finding things to do with our kids, but we must rise to it.

Unstructured time is very important. Just hanging out opens opportunities for dialog and that is the key. We have to remember to listen to them and not just lecture all the time, no matter how tempting that may be. Remember, rules without a relationship lead to rebellion. Eating together at the table at least a couple of times per week is a good resolution. I¹ve hear it is one of the best defenses against drug use.

Here are some more resolutions to consider: to yell less and understand more; to stand firm on matters of discipline and character; and to teach our children to walk and live by faith, hope and love. I want every family to resolve to attend a place of worship together this year. That is a great resolution that will strengthen your family now and forever.

Whatever resolutions we make for our families this year, it is important that we never find ourselves satisfied with the status quo. We must always keep pushing forward to be better parents and to have better, healthier families where love is given unconditionally, and mercy and empathy are practiced every day of the year.

You can contact Craig Harris at www.apparentlyso.net.