8 Unconventional New Year’s Resolutions for Your Family

It’s that time of year. Yet, this year, our times may feel a bit… unconventional. As such, I offer you New Year’s resolutions that may also seem somewhat unconventional but well-suited to our great societal reset. So let’s prepare ourselves and our families for the next 365 days and beyond—hopefully, to support our youth and their future.

Consider what you would like to accomplish alongside your family. Ambitious, yet achievable family resolutions invite each member to hold one another accountable, force us to confront our vulnerabilities, put down our phones, and support one another.

As ever, our kids need us. US emergency rooms have seen a surge in kids with mental health crises including suicidal behavior and depression (NPR, 2021). School psychologists nationwide have seen triple the volume of mental-health complaints and behavioral issues (Fox Business, 2021).

Life is unpredictable Plan accordingly.

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Using my comparative international education lens, I share “lucky number” eight and slightly unconventional New Year’s resolution ideas for 2022 that I hope will inspire.

Top 8 Family New Year's Resolutions

1. Embrace all that is new. The world is changing at a rapid pace. Without a doubt, 2022 will be rife with Metaverse, Crypto, Dark Web, TikTok, data science, and NFTs (Ball, 2021). Develop a plan to upskill, learn, and stay current both as individuals and as a family unit. Invest in continuing education classes at local colleges or download apps like Masterclass or Lucid. Podcasts keep you in the know. Even a cursory search for “crypto” in Apple Podcasts yields 60+ results. There is something for everyone, so go grow, learn, develop, explore this year.
2. Be globally aware. As we see that our success is ever more dependent on global cooperation, be aware of how other nations are responding to the pandemic. Our interactions are predictive of what’s to come on all global matters including sustainability, climate change, tech oversight, and more. While our students’ schooling and learning continue to be impacted, there were countries that shuttered their doors not at all or for only a couple of months. Some countries, like China, continue to shut down entire cities while others are on their fourth shot (second booster) or have a 2-3% vaccination rate (IMF, 2021). Our youth are inheriting this landscape—the varied responses to the pandemic will shape, at minimum, each nation’s future generations and economy.
3. Clean up social media. Be aware of what the algorithms are feeding you. Take the time to review your friends and follower lists. Each person, business, and organization you follow becomes part of your daily mental and energy intake. Consider who (and what) you are inviting in. For our teens, for example, Tik Tok inundates teens with eating disorder videos according to a recent Wall Street Journal article (Hobbs, 2021). Don’t be afraid of a total reset if you don’t like what you see. After cleaning your social platforms, set clear expectations for social media use in your home.
4. Conduct the annual family audit. This is my personal favorite resolution. Based on your family values, where is everyone in your family? Make those areas known so you can support one other in achieving your goals. Check in with one another on a regular (daily, weekly, monthly) basis. And determine how you will check in: in-person, text, social media, phone, FaceTime, WhatsApp, WeChat, email (which seems to be the current day snail mail…), etc. See the next point.
5. InterGEN communication. How we communicate differs for each generation. One person’s phone call is now someone else’s SnapChat. To avoid conflict, learn each person’s preferred form of communication, which may mean learning new technology. As a parent, it’s one of the greatest ways to stay current and know what’s coming down the pike. Meeting your kids where they are can also disintermediate any potentially damaging secrecy shrouded in social media.
6. Do your financial planning. Inflation is at record highs and the markets continue to be volatile. The start of the new year is an ideal time to prepare and develop your family budget. Analysts agree that interest rates will be increasing multiple times in 2022 (Fitzgerald, 2022). Perhaps this is the time to refinance a home or look into better credit card offers. Start savings and investment accounts for young children and joint checking accounts with teens. And, with a considered approach, get your kids involved. Do not make this a stressful lesson, rather, an opportunity to teach them practical life lessons on financial literacy. They’re not going to learn this vital know-how elsewhere.
7. Nurture relationships. Take stock of the human capital around you. Make a list of all the important and meaningful people you have in your family’s life: teachers, counselors, therapists, coaches, doctors, friends, family, colleagues, classmates, and emergency contacts. Do not wait until you need them to reach out. Nurture these relationships. Contact them early in the new year (be creative with a funny homemade video, photo, quotation, recommendation, etc.) and take note of important days and holidays they hold dear. These crucial relationships are integral to your family’s success.
8. Find balance in your health. As always, our health — mental health included — is paramount. This is an ever-present lifelong goal, and every member of your family should be equipped with the knowledge and strategies to support and maintain their physical and mental health. What are your family’s resources and plans? With US healthcare prices soaring, the best action is preventative. At the same time, remember that we all need intellectual engagement for mental acuity, which requires daily investment. Schools have many responsibilities and are combatting a teacher shortage (I outline why in "The Revised Purpose of School"). Any small way you can find to enhance your child(ren)’s education is positive. Recent analysis has found that pandemic learning loss could cost US students $2 trillion in lifetime earnings (Goldhaber, 2021).

Contemporary family New Years resolutions for 2022 will protect each member in unpredictable circumstances

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Whatever New Year's resolutions your family chooses for 2022, remember to support one another, have fun, read books, and laugh. Always find a way to see the good!

Sending you my best wishes for a happy, bright, and joyful New Year. See you in 2022!