I'll Keep My Room Clean and Other New Year's Resolutions for Teens

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Adults aren't the only ones who can benefit from making New Year's resolutions. Here's how to get your teen to join in.

It's that time of year again when you take a good look at your life and realize you need to hide the cookies, cut up the credit card and call your mother more often.

• Wash my hands often and keep my fingers out of my nose.
• Stop sucking my thumb.
• Throw my dirty clothes in the hamper instead of under my bed.
• Use my "quiet voice" in restaurants.
• Not pull the cat's tail or try to ride the dog.
• Remember that toy boats are for the bathtub - not the toilet.
• Not fight with my brother when we're driving in the car.
• Use words when I'm angry - instead of kicking my friends.
• Not throw a tantrum in the supermarket when Mommy won't buy me those chocolate-covered-sugar-coated-gooey-bears.
• Understand that Mommy and Daddy need "alone time" sometimes.

• Cut back on Internet time and be extra careful about what I post on Facebook and Twitter, or send via text.
• Do better in school, get my homework done and study more.
• Try to be friendlier to classmates - especially those who don't have many friends.
• Practice my piano/ballet/basketball more often.
• Not yell at my boyfriend on my cell phone when I'm in public.
• Stop texting my friends when my parents are trying to talk to me.
• Watch my language, be more respectful and not talk back.

• Return my aunt's phone calls once in a while.
• Send an e-mail or thank-you note to acknowledge that I received that birthday gift.
• Get to bed early when I can.
• Call home at least once a week.
• Enroll in a class I find challenging - instead of the easiest one that's available.
• Join a gym to take care of that "freshman 15" weight gain.
• Stop cutting class.
• Learn to budget my money instead of calling home for extra funds. Learn how to write a resume and interview for jobs.

• Be realistic. In his exuberance, your child may tell you he'll never watch TV again. Suggest that he watch his favorite programs, cut out the others and fill the extra hours doing something constructive.

• Write it down. Encourage your child to write down her resolution and post it on the refrigerator. When she sees the note that she promised to keep her room clean, it will be a reminder that she needs to make her bed.

• Take baby steps, if necessary. Your teen wants to stop eating sweets. But can he go cold turkey? Probably not. Suggest having him substitute an apple for those after-school cookies twice a week. In time, he might choose yogurt over ice cream or wheat crackers over chips.

• Don't get discouraged. If she slips up and watches soap operas all week instead of going to the gym, let her know that setbacks happen and to try, try again.

Like you, your kids aren't perfect. Constructively helping them to work on their flaws is a good thing - as long as you remember to praise them for their strengths, too. And who knows? That nose-picking might finally come to an end.