Making New Year resolutions together
PW invited parents of Mayoor Chopasni School, Jodhpur to share New Year family resolutions. “Our New Year resolution is to get unplugged and make time for family moments. These days people spend too much time on digital gadgets at work or in play. Given our packed schedules my doctor husband and I are left with little time for each other and our 11-year-old son Somil (class VI). I really can’t remember the last time our family spent a day without watching TV, checking emails or staying glued to our cell phones. Therefore our New Year resolution is setting aside at least one day per month without digital devices and making time for outdoor activities, apart from sharing household chores on Sundays and national holidays. — Dr. Namita Bhandari, dietician “Our 2020 resolution is a modified version of our 2019 resolution. Last year our resolution was to sharply reduce screen time and create more time for family activities. Surprisingly, our children Rishika (11, class VI) and Ribhav (8, class III) made more friends, started eating mindfully and improved their music skills. For 2020, we have decided to move from reduced to limited screen time after 7 p.m and dedicate 30 precious minutes to family reading. This year’s resolution also includes a three times per week family workout session and complete ban on single-use plastics.” — Nilesh Sancheti, soft skills trainer and textile entrepreneur. “Since we started making New Year resolutions together as a family, the results have been quite satisfying. This year our top priority is to slash screen time to make time for meaningful and open conversations with our children — Sanvi (12, class VI) and Samvit (10, class IV) and exploring and developing new interests for them. Moreover we intend to seriously implement healthy eating habits and involve our children in the kitchen to plan healthy meals. — Seema Soni, homemaker “Being kind to people and refraining from passing judgement without giving considerable thought and time to assess situations are at the top of our family New Year resolutions. Refreshers on good manners, sharing is caring and using magic words like ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘excuse me’ apart from other aspects of courteous behaviour are going to become common in our household. Another focus this year will be on cyber security and countering fake news considering that our sons Shashwat (class Xll) and Shivraj class (VIII) spend considerable time on social media.” — Deepak Bissa, hotel owner and corporate trainer