Mad About Multiples!

My New Year's Resolution: Bucking the Trend (with a book giveaway!) -- Winner Rebekah!

By Patricia N.

As the year 2010 draws to a close, I become more seasonally reflective of my family's life in general and of my children's lives more specifically. It is an American tradition to make resolutions, goals, at the onset of each new year and, for me, this year is no different. In fact, perhaps because at the tender age of 4 years old we stand on the cusp of full blown socialization with the rest of the world, i.e., on the threshold of kindergarten, I find my resolutions this year to be more poignant. As all mothers know, it is a bittersweet perspective to watch our children grow, explore, and, at times, get hurt in the process of learning. It seems like just yesterday that they were my precious little peanuts swaddled in baby blankets when my biggest concern was getting them to sleep through the night. But Father Time callously marches along while my babies' childhood falls to the wayside amid the debris of hastily captured photos and videos. Suddenly I am here: now is the time for me to guide them without smothering, to teach them without imposing.

My New Year's resolution for my children for 2011 is deceptively simple. Happiness. What parent does not want this for his/her child? Yet Dr. Fred Luskin, a Senior Consultant in Health Promotion at Stanford University, points out that we have fallen into a "cultural trance" where we equate future success of our children with a model of consumerism, where "economic value placement" supersedes the more intangible yet sociologically proven predictors of happiness: the quality of our relationships, our ability to make a positive contribution to society, and our innate sense of gratitude and appreciation for our current circumstances. We are more inclined to ask about our children's grades in school than their friendships. We already envision our kids pursuing more high income and perhaps more glamorous professions rather than careers that might be more fulfilling befitting each child's personality. And we (myself above all!) find ourselves bemoaning our financial plight, especially in the midst of this recession dictating a frugal holiday season, rather than wallowing in the gratitude of the possessions that we already have.

Oh How I Wish My Life Was A Comedy

Having recently seen such heavily dramatic movies as "The Joneses" and "Revolutionary Road" (on DVD), my husband and I decided on our most recent date night that a light-hearted comedy was overdue so we chose "The Back-up Plan". The first two movies deal with the inner angst associated with the "typical" American family suburban lifestyle. They provided much fodder for lively discussion between us afterwards. Although it was tempting to feel depressed after seeing them, oddly enough I was left feeling quite invigorated instead. The term my husband used was "animated."

By sharp contrast, after "The Back-up Plan" I left the theater feeling vaguely annoyed for reasons that are still not quite clear to me. I am neither a fan nor a critic of Jennifer Lopez and I thought her acting was adequate and appropriate for the light-hearted nature of the film. I thought the physical comedy, although predictable, was well orchestrated. Even the Hollywood ending didn't bother me. Honestly, there were many moments throughout the film that I wholeheartedly laughed and it was very satisfying just to sit in a dark theater holding my husband's hand immersed in a story on the big screen just like we did when we were sans children.