The stay-at-home dad: No family resolutions allowed for the new year

While it’s exhausting to be a parent to several children on Dec. 25, Christmas provides a little dusting of magic to the start of winter.

New Year’s, however, is a terrible holiday.

The new year signals the definitive end of the Christmas season, meaning no more easy excuses to snack on various baked goods.

With January, all we have is a long stretch of dreary, cold days without twinkling lights and holiday-themed coffee concoctions. I don’t ski (I won’t ski), so I’m basically just hunkered down in my house trying to avoid various infectious illnesses, and we keep adding new ones every year!

I’ve never been much of a “partier,” so I don’t find New Year’s Eve to be very appealing either. And I don’t like resolutions. I know I should find a way to “better myself,” but ugh. It’s too cold outside to pursue life goals.

Basically, as you can tell, I’m an absolute joy to be around at this time of year.

Luckily, my wife and four kids manage to find the fun in most things, and even when we don’t let them stay up until midnight, the kids always approach New Year’s Eve with enthusiasm.

My 10-year-old, at least 15 times on Dec. 31: “I can’t believe tomorrow is 2022!”

So, despite my aggressive ambivalence about the new year, I wanted to help my kids stay positive and enjoy their final stretch of holiday break. Rather than resolutions, I asked my four kids to share things they want to do in 2022. It could’ve been something big like a vacation to something small like watching a particular movie.

Their responses were very much representative of their overall personalities.

My 4-year-old: “I want to play more games with you, daddy!”

He’s the baby of the family and knows it. He knows he will always score brownie points for saying that he wants to spend time with me.

My 6-year-old daughter: “I want to play more ‘Just Dance’ and learn lots of dance moves and take a dance class and wear my dancing dresses.”

Very much on brand with her interests at the moment, though I’m a little surprised that my FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) girl didn’t echo her little brother’s comment and try to earn her own brownie points. Actually, I’m disappointed. Does she even like me anymore!?

My 8-year-old son: “I want to play ‘Minecraft.’”

The kid essentially played “Minecraft” for every daylight hour of holiday break and approximately half of 2021. He’s sticking with what works, I guess.

My 10-year-old daughter, ever the studious, oldest child of the bunch, took the opportunity to show everybody up with her devotion to education.

“I can’t wait to go to middle school.”

That might be the first time anybody ever uttered those words together.

She added: “Also, I think I need to practice my multiplication tables more.”

Bah! I said no resolutions, kids! Now you’ve got me thinking about all the weight I need to lose because of those holiday baked goods. New Year’s is canceled. We’re leaving the Christmas tree up until spring.

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Tyler Wilson is a freelance writer and stay-at-home dad to four kids, ages 4-10. He is tired. He can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.