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Family Resolve

Making Positive Changes
This New Year

By Mark Stackpole

There is an excitement about the start of a new year, with all its promise and possibility. Traditionally, people celebrate this holiday by making resolutions and pledging to change for the better. For a few days in early January, there is a sense that such dramatic changes are indeed possible.

Despite the best intentions, however, it is often not long before those old habits have returned, and all of those positive changes are put into hibernation for yet another calendar year. That said, the arrival of the new year is still a good time to reflect on the past and plan for the future, especially for parents who are trying to make positive changes not only for themselves but also for their children.

Erin E. Mitchell is an educational consultant in San Jose, Calif., and the mother of two. She and her husband, Clifford, a school administrator, lead busy lives and are concerned that their children will get caught up in the whirlwind. "We are busy and goal-oriented people who waited so long to be blessed with kids, but it is surprisingly easy to take their presence for granted instead of just slowing down, watching them and appreciating their existence," Mitchell says.

A New Year's goal for the Mitchell family is to simplify. "We started today by going through the toys we have collected in the last three years and getting rid of all the things that the kids no longer play with," Mitchell says. "We took the time to explain to our son, Matthew, that we were going to find some things that he could give to other kids who don't have toys. He actually helped us out, which is funny because he won't even give his sister a moldy Cheerio from the bottom of his toy box. We are planning to do this at least once a year, in hopes that even when the 'me stage' is over, the kids will be more appreciative, grateful and respectful."

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