WebParenTips - The Online Parenting Newsletter
              vol.7 no.1, January 2006

       NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR PARENTS

Five years ago the ParentKidsRight January Newsletter
was entitled "Parenting Resolutions" and contained 13
resolutions for parents to adopt.
(Check the Newsletter Archives at ParentKidsRight.com.)

This year I will be briefer. The topic of my suggested
New Year's resolutions for parents is TIME.

When school age children are surveyed guess what they
want most. Not a new video game but MORE TIME WITH
THEIR PARENTS.

Parenting Resolution #1:
"I resolve to SPEND MORE TIME WITH MY KIDS. I know I am
busy, I know family scheduling is horrific sometimes,
but every day I will spend ATTENTIVE TIME with each child
which means I will be totally PRESENT and focused on that
child, not thinking about something else."

The wise parent will also spend lots of what I call
present-but-not-always-interacting time with their children.
They involve the children in chores so the family can be
together even if it's easier to plunk the kids in front of
the TV while cooking dinner. The wise parent uses this kind
of time to teach their children by talking to them, asking
questions that make the kids think, showing them how to do
things like toss a salad.

The wise parent makes the most of their time with the children
by multitasking. A family walk gives you time together plus
exercise.

Parenting Resolution #2:
"I resolve to take a PARENTAL TIME OUT whenever I am reaching
my personal boiling-over point."

The wise parent knows how awful kids feel when a parent
explodes at them. I know that it was never what my kids did
that generated my boiling over, it was how I felt inside.
Once I realized that I could monitor my feelings and say,
"I need a time-out from you kids, be back in a few minutes."

Happy 2006!
    
Happy Parenting,
Marilyn Heins, M.D.


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Dr. Marilyn Heins is a Tucson pediatrician, parenting
columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, author of the book,
ParenTips, as well as a mother, stepmother and grandmother.

She is available for workshops and lectures to groups of
parents, teachers, and grandparents. See: Dr. Heins' Lectures
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More parenting information can be found in Dr. Heins' book, ParenTips