Because the Best Mom is a Happy Mom
My son stomps into my office upstairs. I’m staring at the computer trying to figure out what to write next.
His face is full pout.
“MOM! I told them I need a break!”
Uh oh. Usually when this happens, he’s prepping me for something – trying to convince me that he’s on the right side.
It’s a fight. I can feel it.
“Mom, can I invite a friend over today?”
I hesitate. I want her to be able to invite friends over, but today is simply jam packed.
Nope. Not today.
Five minutes later. “Mom, can I have a playdate?”
What the…? Didn’t I just answer this same question five minutes earlier?
My daughter used to leave the kitchen table and throw herself on the couch.
“I can’t DO it,” she wailed, “It’s TOO hard.”
Every afternoon became a neverending negotiation – one I dreaded.
I just wanted to pour myself a glass of wine and hide in the closet.
What do you do at that point?
You know you need to change something with your kid’s behavior.
Maybe your kids are fighting.
Perhaps you want them to be kinder.
Or maybe, you just want them to pick up all the LEGO’s off the floor after playing so you don’t have to experience one between your toes again.
Whatever it is a simple reward system might do the trick.
Walking past the Disney store, I see a kid in mid-breakdown.
Her face is red, her eyes are wet.
The woman -I can only assume is her mom – stands above her and repeats, “No, you can’t get a toy from the Disney store.”
“WHY?!?,” the little girl screams, “WHY! It’s not fair! You said we could. It’s not fair!!”
Is this little girl spoiled?
Back to school means packing school lunch. Honestly, they overwhelm me. If you get as stressed about school lunches as I do, I’ve found an easy way to simplify the entire process and eliminate tons of anxiety in the morning. My six-year-old daughter now packs her own lunch. Here’s how to teach kids how to pack their own lunch.
Why is your child constantly defying you? You’ve been engaged in a constant power struggle with no end in sight. These parenting tips show you how you’ll end it.
I yelled at my kids this morning.
I simply lost it. Usually, I’m not a yeller. I’m the one who keeps all my frustrations hidden until they insidiously eat away at me until I’m curled up in a little ball, crying on the couch.
It’s not healthy.
But yelling, oh man. My kids had finally found my button.
You pull up to the curb in the car pickup line.
As your kids jump into the car, you smile, say hi, and ask, “How was school today?”
Your 10-year-old daughter visibly stiffens. “Fine,” she answers.
“Just fine?” you continue, “Did anything interesting happen?”
“Nope, just the typical day.”
And that’s where it stops.
Kids and food can be a never ending struggle. When we want them to eat healthy, all they want is Goldfish crackers, trail mix mixed with m&m’s and bagged popcorn.
All the processed foods and none of the fruits and veggies.
And I’m not saying that any of these foods are bad by themselves, they’re not. I buy them from Costco and we use them for school lunches and snacks all the time.
But when they become all kids will eat and when every snack time becomes a negotiation, that’s when we run into issues.
