Milestones 

It may not seem so to others, but I think of New Year's Eve as a family holiday. If you ignore the late hours and carousing, and focus on the event as a milestone marker, you'll see what I mean.

New Year's is all about turning the corner on the year, and parents do love to mark time. We celebrate all manner of firsts: first smile, first step, first tooth, first day of school. And we are constantly nostalgic for the past. I've kept a tiny pair of mud-encrusted Robeez that my son, Oliver, last wore as a 2-year-old digging in our garden. I can't wash, trash or pass them along.

I'm fascinated by the last day/first day of the year. I love taking stock and thinking ahead. When you have kids, New Year's is a great time to review and resolve. How'd your holidays go? Are you going to sit down for more family dinners? Spend fewer hours in front of the TV? Will you make time for a regular date night?

This New Year's marks the first year of Seven Days parenting Kids VT. With a new look, the magazine has tackled topics as varied as religion, maternity manners, gifted education and drive-in movies over the past 12 months. Kids VT also launched a new website and revamped the online calendar this year. Our "Camp & School Fair" was a hit, and we made it to a Lake Monsters game, Burlington's Kids Day, the Shelburne Farms Harvest Festival and other community events.

We've got big plans for the coming year, including projects and events with local organizations and regular content about financial literacy and childcare.

My resolution: to find out what you think. Ultimately, Kids VT is your baby, too, and we want to know if we're raising it right. Drop us a line sometime.

Kate Laddison, managing editor

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