Parenting 2022 resolution ideas

The year 2021 has come to an end and there are things you feel you should change about your parenting in 2022. You want to make adjustments in your time and priorities to make sure the most important aspects are well taken care of and your children are the most important. Having a clearly defined resolution is one step closer at getting your resolution fulfilled.

George T. Doran developed Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time-related (SMART) goals in his 1981 article “There’s a S.M.A.R.T Way to Write Management Goals and Objectives.” If you focus on having SMART resolutions, you have a higher chance of attaining them. 

What then are some of those resolutions you can make for the New Year as a parent for the family? 

Spend time with your children

You probably have been very busy to spend quality time with your children and it looks like it the trend will continue unless you put a stop to it. How about you schedule time for them this year?

You can find pockets of time that you can dedicate to them; at the dinner table, in the evenings after work, on weekends, taking walks with them… and make these non-negotiable and uninterruptible.

 Also find time for each child. Each child is unique and needs to feel a sense that they are valued and appreciated in their own right. Encourage their strong points and help them in their weak areas.

Ms Susan Nasaka, CEO of Shiloh International Christian School in Entebbe adds that, “It is when you are with your children that you can teach them values you want them to keep. They might not seem appreciative of your efforts in the meantime but eventually they will bear fruit. Parenting is not a sprint but a marathon.”

Eat healthy

One of my sons was overweight for his age so his grandmother decided to take sugar out of his diet. It been a year now and the boy is leaner and healthier. What are some of the healthy options you want for your family this year? You may want to add some foods to your diet such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains and limit starches, meats, processed drinks such as sodas, refined sugars, fast foods and alcohol. These might be big decisions for you but you can begin small.

 Determine the diet plan for each week, with everybody’s involvement according to their preferences, and paste them onto the fridge or wall so everyone knows what to expect. Aim to sleep at least 8 hours daily.  

Put away the Screens

These include phones, laptops, computers, and tablets: You can deliberately choose to put away your screens at certain times of the day so you can have your family time uninterrupted. Say you can choose not to answer your calls or check emails after 8pm. 

I have a parent friend, whose resolution is to uninstall the Tik Tok App after realizing that it takes a lot of her time, making her unproductive at work. 

Attend parenting seminars

You want to get better as a parent this year. You may resolve to read all you can about parenting in books, blogs, and websites in the areas where you think you need improvement. Interact with other parents and learn from them.

Listen to your children

 You are accustomed to giving instructions (or more accurately “yelling”) at your children and expecting little or no feedback from them. We want to see our children but we don’t want to hear from them.

In 2022, you can resolve to listen more to your children; the silent, unspoken words, the gestures that give you a clue to what they are or what they are thinking.

Ms Damalie Kabasomi, a Ugandan mental health expert working in the NHS in the UK advises “parents to listen to their children because children too have a lot of personal struggles: they probably are bullied at school, are sexually abused, are failing in class, are poor, or diseased and all these factors may overwhelm their infantile mind beyond what they can take. Careful listening, especially by a parent, gives them an outlet to say what they think and how they feel and this is good for their emotional, mental and physical health.”

Participate in home life

You may have a house help and other people who help you around the home with chores such as cleaning, ironing and that is ok but how about you get involved in some of these at some times? There is no better way to teach a child tan modeling the behavior or action. Cook them a meal once a week. Also you can schedule each child to take part in age-appropriate chores and not leave work to the house helps. Schedule family meetings say, once a week on Saturday evenings for about an hour. Evaluate the past week, plan for the following week, and distribute roles. Many family issues can be resolved at this meeting. Planning at this level will provide a good blue print for your children in their own personal lives later on in life when they are out of your home.

Pray together

 Find time in 2022 for family prayer time together, at least 30 minutes daily. To introduce children to God is the best thing you can ever do for them. Include meditation and reading the Bible as part of the routine.  

Mind your marriage

 Children can only feel secure when they know their parents love each other. Spend time with your partner, make them a priority, and build your relationship. It is in the strength of that relationship that you are able to draw from resources to parent your children. If you are a single parent, mind yourself.   

Mind yourself

Self-care is important. As a parent you are often focused on others but how about your focus on yourself in 2022 or do you want to burn out? You can only give what you have. You want to be strong and healthy for your children so you exercise and take good care of your mind. You may start with exercising 10 minutes daily as you build it up.

Save money together

You can resolve to start saving extra money together as a family in 2022. A savings box for each family member is good idea to start with. All of you then can save and break the boxes at the end of the year to know who saved how much.

Read together

We, Africans, are known to be poor readers but you can change the narrative. You and your family can be great readers if you resolved to start reading in 2022. Allow each family member to pick a book of their interest in a library or internet and together target to read a page a day depending on the speed and age of each member. Then meet after a week and share what each has read and learned from the experience.    

According to some research, 80 percent of New Year resolutions have failed by the end of February, yet you can be the 20 percent that succeeds at fulfilling them. All it takes is a developing an accountability system to help keep you focused on your goals, a willingness to change your consciousness, and a conscientious commitment to see them through no matter what happens. 

Happy New Year!