On January 1, 2008, Keith Severin and his 7-year-old son, Adrien, agreed they would spend at least 15 minutes every day of that year reading together   A year later they had read an array of books, and, in the process, enjoyed many hours of companionship and fun. What a great concept for the new year.

Dr. Brian Mcandiss, a neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University, says one of the most fundamental enhancements of intellectual activity is reading. What if this year you dedicated yourself to reading for 15 minutes each evening?   What if, as a parent, you allowed your children to choose a book of their choice? What if you reserved time at the dinner table for discussion of what you had read, and, at the end of each month, reviewed with your family their observations of this activity?

There is a large body of research on what constitutes an effective organization (family). As you glean this material, there are two recurring characteristics.  First, an organization (family) needs to be organized with a clear sense of ‘who it is’ and have a clear definition of expectations. Second, there exists within the organization a ‘high support factor’ for one another, a trust element, and integrity.

It is interesting to note the Kennedy family, from which we elected one of our Presidents, talked about using this strategy when having the evening meal at the family dining table.

I use the word SMART when developing a new year’s resolution.  Is it (S)pecific,)..is it (M)easurable) …is it (A)chievable. Is it (R)ealistic)…does it have a (T)ime frame.

What a great resolution for 2024.