- Image by Rickydavid via Flickr
Parenting can be hard. Really, really hard. Some days are simply the worst. days. ever. When those days strike, it is good to have people who can support you close at hand: a spouse, a parent, a friend, a neighbor.
But once in a while, you have a day where all the stars align against you: the baby throws up, the toddler spills, the tantrums start, the bill you thought was paid was not, the package you were waiting on did not come, the whole day’s schedule is thrown off by the wait for the missing package, your office calls with tons of questions, the washing machine breaks, the food you bought for dinner turns out to have spoiled, and no one is available to talk. Not your spouse. Not your friends. Not your mom. No one.
What to do then?
You have nowhere else to turn to but…. the Internet.
Fortunately, I have put this list together now, in a quiet, non-frustrated moment, so that we can all bookmark it and whip it out on those days when the world is off its rocker in order to prevent going off of ours…
17 Things to Think About When You Are At Your Wits’ End
1. Each phase of early child development only lasts for at most three months. Kids change quickly.
2. Deep breathing. Deep breathing. Deep breathing.
3. Will going outside for ten minutes help this situation?
4. Will going to the mall for an hour to walk around be better than where we are now?
5. Even drive-through restaurants now have healthy food choices. Let’s try them.
6. Are there noisy things on in the house I could turn off to calm things down?
7. Calm music makes for calm people.
8. An extra hour of TV on a bad day never hurt anyone.
9. What makes me feel better quickly? Washing my face? Brushing my teeth? Walking?
10. What can I let go of on my list for today?
11. They are only little for a little while.
12. Will some stretching help me relax and focus?
13. What dramatic thing can I do to change up everyone’s mood? Make a pillow pile? Drape sheets on the table to make a fort?
14. Someone else can clean this all up, even is that someone else is me tomorrow.
15. Do I or my kids need food, water, or a change of clothes to feel better?
16. Do I or my kids need some medicine for an ailment or problem that we forgot to take?
17. If I stay calm, it sets the right mood for everyone. Truly. Really.
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Over to You: How do you handle the days when it all goes wrong and you can’t call in reinforcements? What would you add to this list? Let us know!
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I talk to my one year old daughter. She gets a kick out of mommy just blabbing away and it brings a smile to my face to see her all happy. Even if she is the cause for the frustration, this seems to work.
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