The end of the year 2020 is nearing and at this point, it would be redundant to point out what a crazy year it has been. Clearly, a lot of people are hopeful that things will change for the better in 2021. It is very common for people to have New Year’s resolutions to improve their personal life. While there is nothing wrong with setting some goals for yourself, there are a few resolutions I would recommend for all moms to implement in 2021. If you do not have them in place yet, these goals will surely make mom’s life easier.
- Set an early bedtime for your kids…and stick to it
Maybe you don’t see yourself as the type of mom who is into routines and strict rules. Or, to quote the movie Mean Girls, you are not a regular mom but a cool mom. But studies have shown that putting kids to bed early means better mental health for mom as well. An early bedtime is considered before 8.30 pm. Evidently, an early bedtime has positive effects on the child such as overall better-quality sleep and even long-term effects such as learning abilities and reduced likeliness of obesity. But recent studies have proven what we already knew: it also increases mom’s quality of life when the children go to bed early. Getting a well-deserved break, some me-time or couple time, and more sleep for mom makes her happier and her life more balanced. If you do not have a set bedtime in place yet, you can check out this article for more tips.
2. Ask for help
This sub-headline is pretty self-explanatory but somehow most of us moms think we have to do it all by ourselves and have such a difficult time asking others for help. But in all honesty, not only is it ok to reach out to others, it is something you definitely should start doing in 2021. There is a reason that the saying “It takes a village to raise a child” exists. But you got to pick up the phone and call your “village” aka your family and friends and ask them to come over and babysit, or whatever else you need help with. More likely than not, you have helped people in the past or done favors for them. You can also pay it forward by helping out your friends or family members with their kids.
3. Get healthy without buying into toxic diet culture
A lot of women set the resolutions to lose weight every.single.year. Somehow they believe that 2021 might be the year when they will finally get into vegetables and CrossFit even though none of this has happened in previous years. I do believe that it is important to become the healthiest and strongest version of yourself for your kids – but probably not in the way you are thinking. Mental health and a good balance are extremely important for all women. Moreover, it is important to point out that physically healthy is not the same as being skinny. Keep in mind that the fitness and diet industries are a billion-dollar business so not every article you read or every ad you see may have your best interest in mind. The best thing that I started doing in my life was to ditch any diet or “lifestyle change” including categorizing foods as good and bad which is extremely toxic. I started listening to my body and doing portion control. It made me enjoy life more and stress less about food. Before, my whole life pretty much revolved around food. I was so obsessed with making sure that all my meal options are healthy and that I eat before 6 pm to the point that it would affect my personal life. Being more flexible with food has made me a more relaxed and easy-going mom. I don’t pick places or activities anymore based on how healthy the food is they offer, I pick family-friendly activities that are fun for my son. If this means that we will have to eat some chicken tenders every once in a while, so be it. I do not adhere to a strict dinner time schedule either when we’re out having fun. Past-me would have probably put her child on some organic-only healthy diet. But now I let my son have cake and juice at birthday parties without a problem.
4. Spend quality time with the kids
When I talk to people whose kids are already grown up or to parents who lost their kids, they all have one thing in common. They all tell me that they wish they could still carry their kids, play with them, and how much they miss the time when they were babies. Clearly, I have never met any parent who tells me that they wished they would have spent more time doing the dishes or working. Try to enjoy the little moments when they want to play with you or hug it even it means you won’t have the cleanest house that day or you have to take a break from work. This does not mean that you have to be completely irresponsible but taking an extra 5 minutes here or there to hug your kids and be in the here and now cannot possibly throw off your schedule that much. Furthermore, these little precious moments of joy also give you the energy and love you need in your life.
5. Me-Time
“You cannot pour from an empty cup” so make sure to fill up your cup every once in a while. Make sure you find a little time for yourself to do things that you enjoy doing and recharge your batteries. As already mentioned above, thanks to modern technology there are so many services nowadays that make your life easier and help you save your precious time. Not only that, they actually help you save money. When I order groceries online, I see what everything adds up to and it is easier to stick to my set budget as opposed to just going to the supermarket and adding everything that looks great.
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