New Year always heralds that dreaded thing; the New Year’s Day hangover. But worse, still, than a glass of Alka Selzer for breakfast, is the knowledge that this is the time for your New Year’s Resolutions to kick in.
That hopeful list of things you absolutely PROMISE yourself to do better, or not do any more, or start, which will make you happier and healthier and a better parent and have more lustrous hair. Basically, the list that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER.
No pressure, people.
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, largely because I know I will fail to keep any of them, and this will only result in instant misery and self-loathing, and I’m not big on that.
But I do love the sense of shiny, exciting newness about January. The sparkly, clean, white, untarnished New Year, ready for me to walk into, head held high and full of naïve positivity, and rid of some of my baggage from the year before.
New Year is thus a great time, if not to make unrealistic resolutions, then to have a think about what you might change a little bit in your life, and your family’s life, to make things at home better.
Family relationships are central here. There are thousands of family relationships which could do with a good revue, clean-up and overhaul, and New Year is a great time to have a good look at them, and see if you can make some positive changes.
Perhaps you are not getting on well with one of your children; or two of your children are suddenly bickering a lot, which affects the whole family; or you don’t have enough time alone with your partner; or you still harbor some conflicts with your mother. And one thing that can help many family relationships issues, is getting some more help and care at home, to free you up to spend some time working on it all. This could be a babysitter once a month to let you go out and be an adult; a dog walker for week-day mornings, an elderly carer to pop in and check on an older relative; a housekeeper to do one hour a week and get the bathroom and toilets sparkling again.
Whatever it is, a little more care, such as you can find at Care.com and other places that offer home help, can turn your family life around from constant shouting match to a home filled with laughter. It might not be a whole New Year, New You. But it might be a happier, calmer, healthier you for a while; and that’s got to be worth it.
New Year, New Family Relationships and Care
New Year always heralds that hopeful list of things you absolutely PROMISE yourself to do better, or not do any more, or start, which will make you happier and healthier and a better parent and have more lustrous hair. Basically, the list that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER.
