Recently, as my family and I grabbed a quick lunch between church and basketball practice, I noticed a couple of young men sitting near us in the fast food joint. They were the spitting image of one another and seemed to be teenage brothers. For the entire duration of their restaurant stint, they never spoke. Their eyes were glued to their phones. As ESPN Sports Center blared in the background from one of the several televisions in the place, my heart sunk a little. Distractions are everywhere to divert us from healthy interpersonal relationships.

Let's take a moment free from distractions and the worldly noise around us to think outside the New Year's resolution box. Have you ever heard the old saying that when you point your finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you? That's a metaphorical way of thinking about our philosophy at Little Rock Family. We are parents, brothers, sisters, children...families, too. We're all in this together to make 20"13" the best it can be.

We're taking a fresh look at what we do here at Little Rock Family, including new design and feature ideas. Also, next month we'll begin printing our magazines on recycled paper...so exciting! We encourage you to take a fresh look at yourself and your family. You'll find no quick fixes, fad diets or extreme exercise programs in this issue. Instead, you'll enjoy information that can have a huge impact on your family relationships and well-being this year.

January is National Mentoring Month. A mentor is defined as a wise and faithful advisor or tutor. Sounds like the job description for a parent, doesn't it? Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Renee Burks shares her passionate work to provide mentors for kids in this month's feature story. You'll also find information on tough parenting topics like navigating the myriad of media ratings out there and the growing problem of sexting. Our pages are chock-full of great family and parenting resources, including our Public Schools Guide.

Quirks and Curiosities is a new monthly page where you'll find tidbits, quotes, and quick advice. It's like that odds and ends drawer at your house that's filled with so many useful, important gadgets like jar openers and measuring cups. It's a collection of pure gold; each nugget doesn't require a whole drawer or page, but is important nonetheless. Our Little Rock Family resolves to be here for you and help you along your parenting journey in the months ahead.

We wish you a very happy and lucky 20"13"!