New Year’s Resolutions for Families
I am so happy to see the beginning of a new year because it feels like an opportunity to start over. I’m not very good at creating a list of New Year’s resolutions, but I always have a few goals in mind that I want to accomplish in the new year or challenges I’d like to address.
Because I recently wrote and published the first three books in the Anatomy for Kids series, I’m especially excited to share the books with parents and their children.
My biggest challenge this year is finding ways to reach the largest number of parents who want to teach their kids about their bodies using my books. I am exploring many outreach methods, but the one I’m most excited about is visiting pediatricians and explaining to them how to help parents educate their kids. I was a professor at UCLA Medical School for many years and hopefully this will be a time to reconnect with my medical students who have become pediatricians and catch up on our lives.
My second goal involves family.
Of my seven grandchildren, two are preteens. The direction of their lives are starting to take hold and I want to understand them better and help motivate them to reach their dreams. I am on the search for great workshops and travel plans that will broaden their vision and deepen their confidence.
Hopefully, you also feel the rejuvenation brought in by the new year. I love the idea of making resolutions for happier, healthier families, and the goals I’m especially fond of are:
1) Get healthier: This is about small steps. Substituting whole grains for processed, adding more veggies to meals, or taking a family walk together after dinner. Even just one of these options makes a big difference and leads to more changes down the road.
2) Help others more: I love the idea of serving others as a family. Volunteering at a food kitchen, working together to clean up a beach or neighborhood park, or visiting with the elderly in your community are a few ways to incorporate more giving back into your lives. Try Volunteer Match (volunteer match.org) to find great causes near you.
3) Learn something new: Maybe you’ve always wanted to kayak or take a photography class even learn a new language. Learning something new each year keeps our minds fresh and helps us move past our comfort zones. Spending 30 minutes a few days a week exploring new interests as a family is a wonderful habit to adopt – even if it’s just learning a new board game together.
4) Reconnect with loved ones: It’s so easy to get caught up in life and forget to keep in touch with those we love the most. Allocating some time to reconnect over the phone or even to writing a good, old-fashioned handwritten “hello” note are great ways to tell those close to you – but haven’t seen often enough – that you are thinking of them.
All of us here at Anatomy for Kids wish you a wonderful 2014! What are your resolutions for a terrific new year?
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