2025 Family Goals: More Dates With Spouse, Save Up, And Be Kind

It's the time of year when everyone feels like they are starting with a clean slate, ready for what the new year will bring. Seeing the year-end recap of some of our friends on social media last December inspires us to set our own goals for ourselves and our families.

We asked moms and dads at the Smart Parenting Village, a 108K-strong Facebook community, about the practical family goals they plan to achieve this year, and looks like they all want one thing: more self-love.

This 2025, Filipino parents are putting themselves first, so they can better care for their family and others.

2025 Family Goals of Filipino Parents 

'Be more mindful and focus on health'

Mommy Nica Estuista, a full-time mom of two and a content creator, shared that she hopes to adopt a healthier lifestyle and practice mindfulness this year. The last year was overwhelming for her: she started a new career, gave birth to their second child, and cared for her 'ausome' child. 

"I want to focus on one thought, feeling, and sensation at a time." —Mommy Nica Estuista

"That's why I decided this year to focus on my health and aim for a healthier lifestyle—not just for me but for the whole family—like eating whole foods, walking every morning, getting enough sleep, and staying hydrated."

She also strives to be more mindful, "I don't want to overload or overthink my thoughts because it's really stressing me out. I want to focus on one thought, feeling, and sensation at a time. Mindfulness can help me lessen my negative thinking patterns while enhancing my self-awareness and emotional regulation."

'Bring back love for reading'

Mommy Des Lantin, a work-from-home mom of two girls, wants to read more books this year. “Even before pa po kasi hilig na namin bilhan ng books ang kids. Sabi ko sa kanila, before mahilig din ako magbasa ng books. Naging makakalimutin lang talaga ako. Sabi ko sa kanila, magandang hobby ang pagbabasa at ang pagkahilig sa books. Naisip ko I want to practice what I preach. Kaya sabi ko this 2025, babalik ako to reading books. May mga naka-line up na akong books and unti-unti ko nang sinisimulan,” she shared.

"This 2025, babalik ako to reading books." —Mommy Des Lantin

'Always be kind'

Another take on self-love is learning how to set boundaries, and choosing kindness over being right. Mommy Catherine Salcedo, a mom of two young kids, wants to improve on kindness this year. From her past experience on being bullied by people whom they treated as family, she learned to be more forgiving. "Lesson sa amin na kahit ginawan ka ng masama, maging mabuti ka pa rin sa kapwa. Maging masaya lang sa buhay," she said. She also hoped that in being kind, she could model this virtue to her children.

"Kahit ginawan ka ng masama, maging mabuti ka pa rin." —Mommy Catherine Salcedo

'Spend less, save our first million!'

Content creator and Smart Parenting Mom Squad member Elinor Ann Salinas shared that this year, she opened a separate bank account to achieve their family savings goal: one million pesos. She hopes that by increasing their savings, they can afford their family travel goals too.

"Bawasan yung eating out. Focus na sa homecooked meals." —Mommy Elinor Ann Salinas

"We can do that by spending less sa mga hindi naman kailangan pa na bilhin, like new clothes, bags, shoes, and kids' toys. And most of all, yung eating out namin at food deliveries dapat mabawasan talaga. Kasi upon checking sa bills namin, mostly galing sa food deliveries. Focus na sa homecooked meals," she explained.

^{Mommy Elinor Ann Salinas and her family}

Her family has also set up emergency funds, and each member has an insurance policy. Her husband, who is an accountant, handles their finances. "I believe kaya namin. With dedication and smart decision-making, we can make our dream of saving our first million by 2025 a reality," she concluded.

'Create more core memories'

Like Mommy Nica, Paula Rabulan of Mom Life with Camera is committed to putting herself first and loving herself more this 2025, which she hopes will allow her to give love abundantly from a place of fullness.

"Most importantly, it’s about creating more joyful and meaningful memories together." —Mommy Paula Rabulan

For her, self-love includes being responsible and mindful of the future, thus, she believes that setting up an emergency fund is important, "It gives us peace of mind and security, na mahalaga sa pagtataguyod ng pamilya."

^{Mommy Paula Rabulan and her family}

Aside from financial security, she's focused on creating joyful memories this year. "Most importantly, it’s about creating more joyful and meaningful memories together. Kapag tayo ay masaya at fulfilled, mas maibibigay natin ang lahat ng pagmamahal at suporta na kailangan ng ating pamilya," she shared.

'Go on more dates with my spouse'

Mommy Mica Valdez shared that as part of loving herself, she wanted to be more intentional with her relationship with her husband this year. She noticed that spouses often fight after having kids, which causes stress to the whole family.

"Lumabas kayo ng kayo lang [ni spouse]. Mag-usap, magnilay-nilay." —Mommy Mica Valdez

"So anong gagawin para maiwasan ang pagtatalo o pagkakainitan sa inyong mag-asawa? Lumabas kayo ng kayo lang. Mag-usap, magnilay-nilay. I saw different cases na naghihiwalay or todo away after magka-anak," she shared.

^{Mommy Mica Valdez and her family}

Other goals include traveling more, finding new income sources, and starting a business.

5 Tips on How to Write Your Family Goals for 2025

1. Hold a family meeting.

Involve the entire family in planning. If you have very young kids, they might not be able to contribute much, but you can make goals based on their interests. The best thing to do is to meet with your spouse and align personal and family goals.

Smart Parenting Tip: Go on an overnight staycation with this as your main agenda. Check out these cozy villas for inspo!

2. Create a vision board for your family.

You can make one for yourself, and another one for the family. A good starting point is by answering this: How do you see yourself five and ten years from now? Afterwards, decide on concrete steps toward achieving that vision.

Smart Parenting Tip: Check out how the Kramers and the Garcias make their vision boards here.

3. Categorize your goals.

In the book"The Magic of Thinking Big" by Dr. Schwartz, he recommends that we must set goals under these three categories:

1. the work department - career and business
2. the home department - family
3. the social department - friends and community

Smart Parenting Tip: Make it fun! Feel free to set your own categories that resonate best with your family.

4. Set SMART Goals.

When setting goals, the golden rule is to make it Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. To do this, write a specific goal, and as much as possible, action steps on how you will achieve it and set a time frame for it. As they say, a goal not written is just a wish.

Smart Parenting Tip: Bookmark this article for future reference!

5. Evaluate goals regularly.

Choose the best way for the whole family to see your goals and keep everyone accountable. You may print them on paper and post them on your ref or in a conspicuous place at home, or use a Google Sheet shared with everyone in the family. Schedule dates on your calendar for deliberate check-ins and progress reports.

Smart Parenting Tip: Also come up with a reward for the whole fam if you achieve the goals you set!

That's it. Good luck! May your year be full of small and big wins.

Share your big and small wins as a parent at the Smart Parenting Village, a Facebook community for moms and dads. Join the group here.