For This Mom, A New Year Means New Books

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: Liz Keptner

Age: 43

City and state: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Occupation: College Professor

How old are your kids?: I have a 12 year old daughter, Sophie

What resolution do you think you're supposed to make? Why do you feel this way? Do people still make (and keep) resolutions? I've never been good at that — help! Going to the gym everyday is extremely unrealistic, but I feel like it's one we all make. No thanks.

What's your actual resolution this year, and why?: Like I said, I haven't made a resolution in years but this year I am determined to read more books (fiction for fun!). And I'm off to a good start; I stayed up until 5 a.m. to finish a book recently (Kate Atkinson's Life After Life).

What's the one resolution you won't make again?: Cutting out my weeknight wine — mama needs that!

I'm raising a young, feminist daughter and this election was difficult; we obviously didn't get the outcome we had hoped for. However, I plan on doing everything I can this year to let my daughter know that she can grow up to be President of the United States one day.

What's one thing in your life you want to change but don't feel like you can?: More self-care. Let's be honest, with our busy schedules we all barely find time to make a dentist appointment, let alone a massage or even a quiet 15 minutes a night to ourselves. But who knows, maybe 2017 is the year!

What's one thing you did or didn't do last year that you forgive yourself for?: I wish I wasn't so tethered to my phone. But it's my lifeline at the end of the night, it's how I get news, read articles, laugh at memes, and I'm OK with that.

Do you tell your kids your resolution? Why or why not?: Resolutions are tough because most of them are broken within a day or two (at least, that's my track record), so I've never said anything to my daughter, but this year I want her to be proud of me. She loves to read and who knows, maybe we'll start our own book club.

What specifically do you want for your kids this year?: I'm raising a young, feminist daughter and this election was difficult; we obviously didn't get the outcome we had hoped for. However, I plan on doing everything I can this year to let my daughter know that she can grow up to be President of the United States one day.