New Year’s Resolutions for Teens
It’s the start of the new year and time for New Year’s resolutions. Do you still make resolutions or have you decided it’s futile and given up on the idea? What about your teens? Have they made some resolutions?
How about working on resolutions together? You can help your teen keep his/her resolution. And maybe it will help you stick to a healthier lifestyle as well.
Some common resolutions for teens are:
- Get fit. Start eating healthy and getting some exercise. Even teens, with all that energy, can struggle with motivation. Those video games call and they choose the couch instead of some outdoor activity. So work on a plan together. Find some healthy recipes to try for dinner. Keep fruits and vegetables in the fridge for snacks. Work out together. Get your teen outside for a game of soccer or tennis.
- Become a volunteer. Talk about goals. What are your teens interests? Help him/her find a volunteer opportunity that coincides with their interests and life goals. Volunteer at the hospital if they are looking at the medical field. Talk to your church to help those in need. Go to the animal shelter if animals are their greatest love. Have them offer to read to school children or visit the local nursing home. Still need ideas? Check out your local newspaper or try a site like Volunteer Match. Volunteer with your teen and/or try to convince your other teens to help out too.
- Find a job (or a new job). Network for your teen. Use your connections to find out who is hiring. If it’s your teen’s first job try the usual fast food restaurants or grocery stores. If he/she has some experience under the belt then try to find something that fits with his/her goals. Does your teen want to follow in your footsteps? See if your company has an internship the teen can apply for.
- Study harder. Teens are thinking about college and starting to realize they need to have good grades and impressive resumes for their college applications. Help them create good study habits. Make sure they have a quiet place to study. They need lots of light and all their supplies in one spot. Remind them to stay on task without nagging.
- Take up a new hobby. Do you have a hobby your teen might enjoy? Work on it together. Things like scrapbooking, stamp collection, etc. are things you can do together. Or brainstorm some new ideas. Start a mother/daughter (or mother/son, father/son, etc) book club. Take a dance class. Join a fitness club. Take up photography. Start gardening. Start your own craft business on Etsy; soap making, jewelry, crochet, woodworking, etc. Teach your teen how to cook/bake and get him/her to help make dinner a few times a week. There are a ton of hobbies for teens and parents to do together.
- Quit smoking. Has your teen taken up this bad habit? Help them quit. The Mayo Clinic has some ideas to help your teen quit smoking. Talk to your teen about the dangers. Listen to his/her concerns. Set a good example. Help them create a plan.
What are your teen’s new year resolutions?
*sigh* Honestly, as a teen, I find this article ridiculously stupid. No teen is going to agree to set "New Years Resolutions"–with their parents especially. And you certainly can’t MAKE your teen set New Years Resolutions with you, so this article is like, moot.
Actually, Melissa, I’m not sure that’s the case, but I DO totally hear what you’re saying and agree on the ‘force factor’ …I think Christine might’ve been meaning that teens/parents can resolve to be more “collaborative” maybe?
For ex: My teen and I just hammered out a whopper of a media contract and financial literacy digital deal to give her more privileges/payoffs for earning responsibility in show-n-tell mode.
In fact, here’s one I wrote on Shaping Youth about using ‘matching funds’ to be more collaborative vs. adversarial in negotiating teen/parent life:
http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=4226
And I just did a two-part series on kids using prepaids and online chore charts/virtual banking to get prepped for college & REAL world budgeting so teens don’t end up like our govt!
http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=4171
Sitting down and hammering out something like this is a great way to form a habit. It may seem stupid, but it’s necessary to do something of a formal agreement just to cut down on arguments–if for no other reason.
A friend of mine is a coach and she focuses on helping people address change in a positive way. As a part of her business she sells bracelets that remind you of your commitments to “turn over a new leaf.” I wrote this up as a unique mother-daughter approach to making change in my Christmas gift series…I think it’s a really neat way for a mom and daughter to work on new resolutions together. You might want to read my write up here: http://pleasestoptherollercoaster.com/blog/2008/12/09/gift-idea-for-moms-and-teensturn-over-a-new-leaf-bracelets/ and then go to my friend’s site here: http://www.newleaftouchstone.com/
Thats stupid. I’m 11 and i *did* make resolutions. Kids our age make other types like ea healthier, be a better friend, or improve your style. Not ‘get fit’. Unless ur fat.