Dear Dorie, I have a preschooler and a first grader and I am wondering how to celebrate on New Year’s Eve. We can afford a baby-sitter for the night but I’d like to do something special for the kids as well. Should I let them stay up until midnight?
Dear Parent, Congratulations. You get an A in parenting for including the children in your plans for what is an especially adult holiday celebration. Well done.
You’ve got two categories of age appropriate celebration here — the preschooler who is not yet ready to understand the concepts of “eve” or “new year,” and the school-age child who probably has some very keen ideas about what happens with the grown-ups at midnight on Dec. 31. This celebration is primarily for the latter. The preschooler should have her usual nighttime routine followed as much as possible (dinner, bath, pjs, books, etc.). Be sure to tell the young one that mommy and daddy are going out and will be back when she wakes up in the morning. That way if the midnight noise wakes her, the sitter’s presence will make sense. Now for your first grader: Step one, book the sitter for a late start time, say 9 p.m. Step two, establish the hour for “new year’s” for the children, say 8 p.m. If possible, invite two friends over to ring in the 8 p.m. new year with you. Step three, get some sparkling cider for a toast and some special finger foods for a buffet-type meal. Step four, get some pots and pans with wooden spoons ready for the children to “ring” in the new year at the given time. You’re in charge of the countdown and very few first graders can tell time so you’ve got some flexibility here.
Now’s the hard part, get yourself ready and try to stay clean while you celebrate with the children. Be creative and have fun. Afterward, put the preschooler to bed and let the baby-sitter handle your first grader. Then, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy a late evening with your spouse. Happy New Year! (Dorie Meek is director of the Infant & Family Support Program, provided by Saint John’s Health Center in partnership with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Meek answers questions concerning children ages birth to 5 years old. Submit your questions to “Dear Dorie” at, or call (310) 452-6132; fax (310) 452-6392).
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 28, 2004. Read the original PDF.