New Year with Children

On the eve of the New Year a number of friends and parents called me up to ask as to what would be my suggestion to them as far as celebrations are concerned. I understand the subtle dilemma here since all of them have kids or growing up children at home. Well, a wholesome family celebration is an ideal way to usher in a new year, partying with the friends too is necessary to network socially which is extremely important in today’s hectic professional life. What is the way out?
Before I could reach to a logical explanation that could meet the social obligation as well as include the children back home, a small news item from Moscow about Tskhinval holding children's New Year party caught my attention. The South Ossetian President Edward Kokoity was to whistle off a children’s New Year and Christmas party at a school in Tskhinval.
The guests were children who crouched in basements during the Georgian artillery barrage in August 2008. The assault killed dozens of Russian peacekeepers and hundreds of local people and left the South Ossetian capital in rubble. The otherwise small news item might have gone unnoticed by many of the newspaper readers.
However, an educationist and child psychologist in me started wondering if the ruined buildings can turn into Children’s Culture and Handicrafts Centre, why can’t an otherwise peaceful nation like India take a lead and plan out something for our own children. After all, everyone likes to celebrate the New Year and kids are no exception, although often the children are sent to bed while the adults have all the fun.
I suggest why not celebrate the New Year and, for that matter, every event this year twice- once with your kids at just a little past their normal bedtime - and once again at midnight, when they are safely tucked up in bed? We can plan out many activities to help our celebrations for the children go well. In case, the children are going to stay up until midnight to see the New Year in, plan out some games to keep them busy.
The bottom line is that make children part of your celebrations this New Year and every other landmark event throughout the year. Let’s take this as a New Year Resolution for the year 2010 and ahead.