Dave’s New Year’s Resolution – More Trips With the Kids

I can honestly say that in 2013 I made the most of my time with my kids. I hope they feel the same. But when it comes to being a dad, there's always room for improvement. And, that's what New Year's resolutions are all about, right? So I have decided that my 2014 New Year's resolution is to take my kids on more time outside the house with my two kids.

With a few exceptions, my 13 and 2-year old and I stayed in town, finding fun things to do within Abilene's city limits. We also spent a lot of quality time doing crafts at the house and read lots of books. 2014 is going to include more of the same, and also be dedicated to expanding our fun. I've put together a list of things I want to do:

1
Waterparks
Texas has some of the best waterparks in the world, and they are fun for kids of all ages. When you have kids who are 11 years apart, the "all ages" thing becomes an important factor.
2
The Fort Worth Zoo
The Abilene Zoo is fun, don't get me wrong. But taking a day trip to the big zoo is something I've been looking forward to doing with the kids - especially the 2-year old - for a while now.
3
Visit out of town friends
I have some very close friends who don't live very close to me. While I made a couple of trips to visit them in 2013 (and they came to Abilene, too), I don't feel like it was enough.
4
Visit family in Michigan
I haven't done a very good job of getting back to visit my family. In fact, most of my family hasn't even met my 2-year old daughter. While a lot of things need to fall into place for this trip to work, I'm hoping to make that happen in the coming year.
5
One-On-One time with both kids
My parents - who had seven kids - found a way to give all of us individual attention, I can surely do it for my two. I look forward to taking my 13-year old boy to enjoy stuff for older kids as much as taking the 2-year old girl to do things that only she will be interested in. It only makes sense.

Categories: Abilene News