This Mom Is Focusing On Patience In 2017

January is a month filled with resolutions. On the first day of the month, as each of us wave goodbye to the previous year, we make way for all the things we plan to do once we have a fresh slate. We ask ourselves, What will I do better this year? How will I do better? What do I want to change about myself? About my behaviors? How can I improve? Resolutions made by women by and large get a bad rap. At face value, it's so easy to assume they'll all be the same: I'm going to lose weight!; I'm going to wake up earlier!; I'll travel! but if you take a look deeper, you'll notice just how raw and real resolutions made by women — especially moms — are. They're complex, multi-layered, and they're also incredibly honest.

Mothers aren't just making resolutions for themselves. They're constantly factoring in how the things they do and say and believe will shape and influence their children. Though moms are faced with these types of decisions day in and day out, the new year provides an opportunity to look at the year as a whole and to consider all the things they plan to change and improve on. For 2017, Romper spoke to 31 different moms all over the country in an effort to highlight just how diverse, bold, and exciting their resolutions are.

Name: Whitney Daw

Age: 28

City and state: Wasilla, Alaska

Occupation: 911/Police Dispatcher

I see parents these days who are totally disconnected from their kids and have zero patience. I don't want to be that parent, and my girls are helping me not to be.

How old are your kids? 23 months old — let's be real and say she's almost 2 — and 9 months old

What resolution do you think you're supposed to make? Why do you feel this way?: No matter what age, it seems like you always feel pressured into the "New Year, New Me" thing, which [for me] is always a fail. It's literally what I have thought going into each new year for the last 14 years, whether it be getting in shape, being a better friend, changing my style.

What's your actual resolution this year, and why?: Being a more patient mother. I'm new at this and prior to having children I was totally self-absorbed, which I've never actually put out into the universe until now. I still have moments where I'm like, "Oh my god, why are you crying? It's my turn to whine!" I decided to make this my resolution because I see parents these days who are totally disconnected from their kids and have zero patience. I don't want to be that parent, and my girls are helping me not to be.

What's the one resolution you won't make again?: Ugh, swearing on everything that I'll lose even just 10 pounds.

Do you tell your kids your resolution? Why or why not?: I'm sure I will once they're old enough to understand what it means. Maybe we'll be cheesy and have family resolutions together — that might be fun.

What specifically do you want for your kids this year?: Just to be happy.