Have you heard of the idea of creating family resolutions? I just heard about them this week and think they are an interesting idea. Many people create individual resolutions for the year and usually revolve around making healthier choices in life. These can be around the food you are consuming, your exercise routine, and how you are taking care of your mental health. There can also be goals around your business and work life as well. Others create goals around how they will interact with family and time spent, but often not what you want to accomplish as a family.

Setting a family resolution can help provide direction to how your family interacts and what is important to everyone. Are there goals that you want to work toward? Are there some positive changes you want to make as a family? There could be some similar goals that you would make as an individual such as healthier eating or a better exercise routine, but there could also be goals around time to spend together, activities to do, or spending time volunteering. This could include taking a day as a family without devices or setting aside Saturday morning to be together as a family.

This past year has been more difficult for many families due to the pandemic, but maybe this is the time to reflect and decide what changes you want and need to make. What worked well for you as a family? Have you already made changes that have been beneficial? If this is the case, maybe your resolution is to continue with the positive change that you did make. What would make you more successful as a family?

While some of this may seem overwhelming to think about what works and what needs to improve, remember that you do not need to make all the changes at once or even figure out all of the changes you want to make right now. Maybe part of your family resolution is to reflect on family routines at a more frequent and regular time. This may be one of the best resolutions to make. Often times it is not until bigger changes need to be made that they are discovered, but regular reflection can help so that you can make smaller changes when noticed instead of needing to make big changes later which can be more difficult.

Family resolutions do not need to be lofty and challenging, but can provide a context for you and your family to think about where you are now and where you want to go. You can also break larger goals into smaller steps so that they are not as intimidating and you can determine how you will reach them. If they are about spending more time together, determine what activities everyone enjoys and what time works best for everyone. Ask your children for their opinion as well, even when they are younger. There may be some unrealistic resolutions presented such as going on vacation every week, but maybe that is changed to once a year or something that is more manageable for the family. If you want more help with making these resolutions or have other questions, please feel free to reach out here.