Resolutions

Every year we all make resolutions and tell the kids they don't get dessert unless they hold themselves to theirs. Just kidding, we just like to look back and see what they imagined for themselves in their upcoming years. Last year our resolutions were as follows, from youngest to oldest: 

(Then 2-year-old) A wanted to play with friends, WRESTLE! (that's a direct quote) and turn three. Youngest person in America to make and keep her resolutions! We’re so proud.

(Then 4-year-old) Z wanted to play soccer and baseball and watch basketball or wrestling at the high school with Daddy. Hm. Well, he played soccer and baseball and he also got to watch a volleyball game at the high school--with Mommy. That counts, right?

(Then 6-year-old) E wanted to "play with friends, go to school and play with my family." Another resolution-making prodigy! Two in one family! How do we do it?

(Then 10-year-old) G wanted to "do awesome steampunk stuff! Like...attend a convention! Get/make aviator goggles/steampunk suit!/build an airship to go across the pond! build a ray gun from scratch!" Those goals were a little lofty but he did do a lot of awesome steampunk stuff. We missed the convention but we have 2014’s convention information already on the calendar. He made lots of cool goggles and other accessories. He acquired a top hat from Grandma and recently purchased a pinstripe suite with a vest and everything. No airship or ray gun but he did build a functional portable heat generating apparatus.

(Then 12-year-old) B said she “wishes to make the world  happier, prettier and all around better (and nicer sounding!) by doing one or more of the following: somehow work towards world peace, singlehandedly paint a mural, be Tinkerbell in Peter Pan, learn to play guitar" The funny thing is that nobody remembered about her saying she wanted to play guitar, including herself, and then a week or two ago she had a dream about playing and brought it up again. Then she was visiting Grandma and mentioned it and was gifted with her Great Aunt’s guitar from Grandma’s basement and has begun to play around with it. She didn’t paint a mural but she did paint many amazing paintings that are now displayed in her new bedroom, so they’re sort of like a mural. She did a great job as Tinkerbell and even got to fly across the stage which was an amazing experience for her.

(Then 38-year-old) Daddy O wanted to "Have individual fun time with everyone in the family. Meet interesting and fun people. Achieve some personal growth through introspection and positive changes." Seriously? Who wrote that for him? It’s like he had his period last New Year’s or something.

(Then 38-year-old) Me said that “I'd like to always show my gratitude by giving back to my community, strengthen immediate and extended family relationships and practice patience in parenting." You know what? I think I did a pretty good job on these. I wouldn’t say that I practiced patience in parenting every single day, but definitely on more days than the year before!

On to 2014!

Three-year-old A: “I wanna play at my friend L’s house and then sleep over and then play babies and then play games and then play hide and seek and then it’s bedtime but I’m gonna bring my clothes and my jammies and my toothbrush and . . . the end.” We can probably do all of that except the sleeping over part, kid.

Five-year-old Z: “I want to go to Country Griddles (diner). I want to play basketball and learn to play guitar.” Cool, maybe your older sister can teach you.

Seven-year-old E: “I want to learn how to snowboard, how to ride a quad, play with my friends and my cousins and my brothers and sisters that don’t live with me, see R & B again (retired nun Great Aunt and her friend), and learn how to cook.” I am not sure about seeing the brothers and sisters that live many states away but we have had had some luck communicating with them lately so maybe there’s a chance. I would love to make that happen for him and for all of us. The cooking one was my idea for him but he wholeheartedly agreed, he’s always had a very mature palate.

Eleven-year-old G: “I resolve to stop making resolutions.” Is this smart ass his parents’ kid or what? I hadn’t even told him about the time I gave up religion for Lent.

Thirteen-year-old B: “I want to really learn how to play guitar now that I actually have one, learn to cook more, start to get more babysitting and mother’s helper jobs and hang out with E & Z more.” Make music? Make dinner? Make money? Entertain your brothers? I’m on board!

Thirty-nine-year-old Daddy O: “I want to share my snarkiness with friends, get a hobby and take a family road trip.” Ah, that’s more like it from him. But that’s not going to help with my original idea for a resolution of being less snarky--guess I’ll have to come up with a different idea.

Four months shy of forty-years-old Me: I put a lot of thought into this. It's easy to get carried away with lofty ambitions or overcome with sentimentality (see: Daddy O, resolutions 2013). I ended up deciding on something simple but (I think) worthwhile. Something that mostly applies to parenting but I could (and hope to) apply to my other relationships too:

Play more. 
Shout less.

That's it! Play more, shout less. Happy New Year and thanks for reading.