We are now in the second month of 2017, and it is a good time to review whether the resolutions made just 6 weeks ago are going to be even vaguely feasible.
For several reasons I am not going to list out the resolutions I made. Firstly, I do not want to feel held hostage by my writings. A resolution for me is not supposed to scare me or bind me to something and it certainly should not make me feel guilty. My resolutions move and evolve as they become more integral in my life. This is not the same as “moving the goal posts”. It is more that once I have set on a path then it is really important for me to get the absolute most out of the goal. Sometime I need to add to the goal in order to not miss opportunities which I have created simply by starting the goal.
So how am I doing? Well, in most things I am succeeding. There is one area which is still a big problem in my life and I think it is probably one which a lot of parents worry about – are my kids spending too much time on computers? This was something which I prioritized to solve or at least find an acceptable answer to. By acceptable I mean to all the family. I do not want to bully my kids into my way of life, they are growing up at a different time to me, the world they inherit will be different from the one my generation got given. My kids need to fit in with their piers, but also to be able to think for themselves. I accept that they need computers in their lives, but I want them to be productive as well. So I have finally given into the nagging of my eldest son and allowed him a youtube channel. Admittedly we have not yet sorted out the software for him to record, but I think we are starting to come to some agreement.
The rest of my resolutions seem amazingly easy compared to managing my kids online time. However, they are still important. I want this family to move on significantly this year. We need to be sure that they are academically solid – that there will not be the usual end of year panic as I worry that they have not done enough work during the year and start to have stressful conversations which lead to destructive decisions. Once the academia is solved, there is the health side. We are an incredibly healthy family. We eat well and we exercise, but we had got lazy and I was starting to notice that my eldest did not have the stamina which he used to have. After cycling our way through the winter I am pleased to say that we are making progress with this too.
With my resolutions on track it is now time to plan for the warmer weather. I am dreaming continuously about the spring and summer – I have had enough of winter!!!!!! This year we are going to be the happiest, healthiest and most organised family in the Odd. I do not think I have felt this driven for a long time.