New Year’s Resolutions For Baby Mommas

041Baby columnist Odette Parfitt shares some New Year’s resolutions in the hopes of inspiring new moms

The start of a new year inevitably sparks the idea that it is time to become a better person than you were last year.

I’ve never been a big believer in New Year’s resolutions – much like starting a diet on a Monday – because I feel like if you really wanted to be better, you would just do it and you wouldn’t need to tie your motivation to a specific date.

However, now that I stand at my first new year as a mom, I’m willing to completely contradict myself. My son is almost nine months old and it seems as good a time as any to take stock of motherhood so far.

That being said, I’m also trying to be wary of the mom guilt that so easily creeps into the list of New Year’s resolutions, and to be kind to myself.

So, these are my New Year’s resolutions as a mom:

Forgive myself for looking like I’ve had a baby
Acknowledge and celebrate the things I’m doing right as a mom
Embrace the mess (whether the literal messy house or the figurative mess that is everything out of my control)
Think of motherhood less as a set of responsibilities on a to-do list, and more as something amazing I get to do – a privilege not everyone has; in other words, focus less on the work and more on the joy
Make time for myself when possible (and forgive myself for needing it)

Of course, this article can’t just be about me, so I also asked some mom friends to share their resolutions:

“Be more present and fully enjoy the moment that we are in now.” – Suzanne Loubser

“My new year’s resolution for motherhood is to actually start making healthier lifestyle decisions to positively influence our breastfeeding journey and to set a good example to my daughter as she grows.” – Chaune van Eeden

“Be more present in both motherhood and life, take time to enjoy all the little things, the special moments and everything in between – without guilt. Sometimes the world and all its obligations can wait.” – Yolandi van der Ryst

“I want to be more patient. Patience is when you should be angry, but you choose to understand instead.” – Tarina Kemp

“I want to be present when spending time with my daughter and find joy in the small things.” – Alicia Wright

“My New Year’s resolution is to focus on my personal health and wellness as a new mum this year. So that the small steps I make today (starting with more regular walks and getting back into my road running), helps me invest in having a stronger and more energetic version of myself as my little boy enters his toddler stage (busy, busy, busy!). I also want to try to be more present to appreciate, enjoy and acknowledge the growth of my baby (emotionally and physically) while not only focusing on the achievement of his ‘milestones’.” – Tashta Bhana

Odette Parfitt is a former journalist and current communications professional (which really just means she makes a living off stringing sentences together). She is a perpetual survivor of writer’s block and a newly-minted boy mom, keen to share any knowledge she has on parenthood and babies pretty much right after gaining that knowledge. At the moment, her hobbies include power naps and drinking cold coffee – but she’s hoping to expand her interests soon.