Decisions, decisions....

With the New Year comes the deep urge to be a better person by improving ones diet, mind and lifestyle. As a parent of a now 18 month old it came as a bit of a shock to find that where this annual mental ritual had always been about me, I found that this year was the first year that my mind was planning on behalf of the Little Man. The tasks I set where all for me to do but for the benefit of my son.
'I must try ever hard to ensure he has the best diet of freshly prepared meals and lots of fruit and vegetables'.
'I must ensure that he is given plenty of opportunities to go to the library/mix with others/have time to play independently and on a 1:1 basis to allow him to develop his fine motor skills and discover his environment, blah blah blah'.
'I must expose him to plenty of physical activities to ensure he has an active and healthy life from the beginning to help set the pattern for the rest of his life'.
So, I heaved a big sigh and started to sort through all these thoughts - after all, I usually get to grips with my own self improving ideas each year so on with the task of improving my mothering skills to make a better life for Little Man. First on the list was diet. I have been lucky enough to of been brought up with a good sound knowledge of basic food nutrition and that combined with some common sense I feel that just a little extra effort I have this one under control. My biggest battle with this is when out and about, others are feeding their children all the 'naughty nibbles' that once spotted by a little boy you know you have to either concede or be prepared to be a public spectacle as the tantrum of mammoth proportions kicks off! Top tip - always go out prepared with extra healthy treats in the bag, though already I have found that no raisin or humble apple can compete with the crisps or chocolate biscuits.
Nest came the 'mind'. We aim for a weekly visit to the library, we spend hours reading books at home (a favorite activity of his so easy to implement). We are being active in creative activities with colouring, painting, cooking and play doh. He 'helps' with the washing and sweeping the floors and has an unhealthy fascination with throwing rubbish, or anything else he can lay his hands on, into the kitchen bin. We even fit in a spot of dancing to his much loved DVD given to him by Grandad Stu for Christmas - the Peter Kay Children in Need Animated DVD. A pretty rounded collection of things to help with expanding the mind and fine motor skills, so I have a certain confidence as I tick that one off the list.
Lastly came 'lifestyle'. This is where I stop to pause. Little Man is just getting to that age when he can start different groups that require real dedication. Everything seems to be in six week blocks but to progress and really benefit you need to commit to them for years, you have to think of them in the very long term. So, having done some research I came up with: Socatots, Gymnastics for tots, swimming, baby ballet (yes, it is for boys too) and music. Some are for week days others for weekends but which will he want to be involved in, in two years time? Currently we are dabbling in all the different ones to see how he gets on and try and gauge which appear to be his favorites - it is such a difficult decision and if I am honest the jury is still out for a few more months!
So, having been thrown this unexpected challenge of sorting my son before any thought of anyone or anything else and having if not quite completed setting up Little Mans 'life improving lifestyle' I have certainly been active in getting his 2010 off to a good start. I then spared a very brief moment to think abut me. My plan so far is, once I push the 'publish this post' button, do I improve my mind and pick up the knitting (my new skill for 2010) work on my lifestyle and switch on the TV and get physical with the Wii Fit (great Christmas gift from PM) or improve my diet by resisting the chocolate that sits upon the table to the right of me? Oh, decisions, decisions!