New Year’s Resolutions for Grandparents
It’s that time of year! Time to look at what we’ve been doing, and pledge to do better with a New Year’s Resolution. The start of a new year is the perfect time to assess what we want to change in our lives. For grandparents, it’s an opportunity to assess how we’ve been showing up for our families. So how do you make a New Year’s Resolution that will help you do better as a grandparent?
Most resolutions are based on changing our habits. Maybe it’s a bad habit we want to break free of, like smoking. Or a new habit we want to adopt, like exercising more. The top resolutions are familiar ones: to lose weight, exercise more, get organized, quit smoking, eat healthier, stick to a budget, and to spend more time with friends and family.
To make a grandparent resolution, start by looking at your grandparenting habits to see if they are serving you and your family as well as they should. Are there things that you’ve been doing that you could or should be doing differently? Do you even have grandparenting habits, or are you still just kind of winging it and hoping for the best?
One of the reasons we encourage all grandparents to take the time to reflect and create a “grandparenting vision statement” is that it allows us to be more intentional in our role as a grandparent. Being intentional allows us to have a more positive impact on our families—and more fun as a grandparent. (Check out Your Grand Vision if you want to know how to create your own grandparent vision statement.)
But even after you’ve created your vision statement and have a clear idea of what your grandparenting plan involves, the new year is a great time to check in and see if you need to make any changes. The best way to decide on your grandparent resolution is to ask your adult kids if there is anything they’d like you to stop doing—or to start doing.
Your role as a grandparent is dependent on the relationship with parents, so it’s always important to think about how your actions affect them. So talk to your grandchild’s parents and ask them these three things:
What have I been doing that you’d like me to do more of?
What have I been doing that you’d like me to do less of?
What haven’t I been doing that you would like me to start doing?
They may ask you to cut back on gifts, or to make time for more family dinners. They may ask you to greet them when you walk in the door instead of beelining for the baby. Ask them about their own goals for the new year, as well. Perhaps your grandparent resolution can help support them in one of their goals.
After talking to them, take their answers to heart and share your grandparent vision with them. Now you can set a New Year’s resolution that will make this year the best year yet for your family.
Here are some grandparent resolutions from other grandparents:
I resolve to prioritize my relationship with my adult children
I resolve to follow my grandchild’s parents in their decisions for my grandson
I resolve to check with parents before buying a big gift
I resolve to ask my grandkids if I can have a hug instead of just grabbing their adorable bodies
I resolve to try not to comment during meals
I resolve to learn about new parenting methods
I resolve to learn about judgement and try to stop myself from being judgmental
I resolve to put time on my calendar to spend with my grandchildren, even if it’s just virtual
I resolve to help my grandchildren understand their emotions instead of trying to control them
I resolve to regularly ask parents how I can support them
What will your Grandparent resolution be this year?
Like any other important job in life, being a grandparent is improved when we take a moment to reflect on how we are doing. The more intentional we are about how we show up, the greater the impact we can have on our family. Making a grandparent resolution this year will pay off in a closer bond with your grandchild.