I have dropped into your social media feed, and I guess the expectation is that everyone at this time of year is talking about starting afresh, setting resolutions and looking perhaps at a healthier way of life after the indulgence of Christmas and New Years. Sorry to disappoint, I am not!
Whether you set New Year resolutions or not, January is a great time for reflection.
I am not a big believer in setting resolutions, as I seem to fail at them before January has finished, although each year I dutifully get on the bandwagon, perhaps call it peer pressure or FOMO (fear of missing out). However, after 41 years, I have decided that I am not about setting myself up for failure in 2019, you would have thought that I would have learnt this lesson before now, alas no, as a result, I have decided to do things a little differently this year.
This January, I am going to focus on my wins and learnings from 2018 and what I can do to enhance and build on the wins or not repeat the struggles in 2019.
I have suggested some journal prompts or perhaps questions you can discuss with your family here as you sum up 2018. In addition, I am going to use these prompts at the end of each month in 2019 (well that is my plan anyway!).
Journaling is a wonderful tool for children and adults alike to reflect on what is happening around you, work on issues, share highs, lows and the unexpected and to brain dump. Children of all ages can use a journal, it might start off in picture form and advance to writing or they might be writers already. The journal though is a safe place to experiment, make mistakes, as no one is going to judge or mark it, it is all theirs or yours.
Something my family did in 2018, is that we set monthly themes, such as Active April and Fond February…. you can find our full year of themes here. It was a great way for us to have a common language in our home, we were more purposeful and enjoyed planning what we could do each month to fulfil the ‘brief’. My daughter got a say and it was a fun way to hear her voice in our family home. For 2019, taking on my learning from last year, I will probably only plan 2 or 3 months ahead, as it lost its momentum and got forgotten.
I would love to know what you do with your kids to start the new year off on the right path? Likewise, if you try any of my ideas, let me know how it goes.
Here is to making 2019 a purposeful, happy and laughter filled year.
Anisa Lewis – Positive Parenting Coach
