Take some time for family this year
By By Michelle Blaylock, Mom’s Corner
Happy New Year!
It’s time to sit down, relax and reflect on our lives. Um, does anyone have an idea of when one is supposed to have time to do this?
Let’s see, today I have to catch up on the laundry, the carpets all need to be cleaned, one of the kids has a doctor’s appointment, and, oh yeah, one has one tomorrow, not to mention the dishwasher is broken so now we are hand washing dishes until my husband gets a chance to finish looking at it. So when is that “reflection time” supposed to be squeezed in?
Well, the truth of the situation is that no matter how busy my life is I still need to squeeze it in. I have found if I really want to do something there are always ways of doing it. One family we knew when we lived in Indiana took a yearly camping trip together. It was their own personal retreat.
The mother or father picked a Bible study that they shared a part of each day with their family and they spent time looking at their lives and what they needed to improve on. Everyone in the family had to pick at least two things in their lives they wanted to better and make a “resolution” to do it.
The parents required everyone in the family to have one resolution regarding that person’s relationship with our Heavenly Father. The second resolution could be about anything else. This family also spent time as a group and discussed one goal they could work together to achieve.
This plan might not work for every family. For example, in my family we have too many members going in way too many directions.
I’m personally happy when I can get a 20-minute family meeting! I can’t imagine trying to get an entire weekend! I often try to just make time to spend with each child and help guide them through making their own resolutions.
Now a couple of tips about making resolutions. First, don’t set yourself up to fail. Make sure your resolution is feasible. For example, the resolution of “I’m going to lose 10 pounds a week.” Um, definitely not feasible. You can’t lose 10 pounds a week in a safe and reasonable way. Even if you do manage to lose weight more than likely you won’t be able to keep it off that way. It would be wiser to make a resolution like: “I’m going to try to eat healthier, drink more water and take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.” This resolution would work toward the goal of losing weight, but is specific.
It’s important to look at the goal of the resolution. If your goal is to be a better organized person, then consider what you need to do to achieve that goal. Do you need to get a planner to keep all your appointments in one place? Do you need to get rid of some of the clutter in your house to make it easier to find things? Do you need a family bulletin board for putting up messages?
Make your resolution specific and achievable.
Secondly, don’t make a resolution regarding other people. I had a friend one time that her resolution was to teach her daughter how to sew. The only problem was the daughter didn’t want to learn how to sew!
It was doomed before my friend ever started. After several weeks of misery on both of their parts, the mother finally revised her resolution to be “finding something to do together with my daughter.”
I pray you had a very blessed Christmas and you will continue to be blessed throughout the New Year. If you have a comment, tip or suggestion for Mom’s Corner, I would love to hear from you. Please e-mail it to: moms-corner@juno.com
