Raising Children: One of “THOSE” Kinds of Days
It was one of “those kinds of days.” You know what I’m taking about, right? Kids wake up too early (grumpy of course), they immediately start in with picking on each other, whining, and demanding things – NOTHING goes right. I’ve found a simple trick that helps me handle all the madness that comes with the territory of being a mommy and raising children.
It was a heck of a morning, but somehow managed to get Eli off to school, replaced dead car battery in time to pick Eli up early from kindergarten after a call from the school nurse, consoled Xander that he wasn’t going to preschool due to a dead car battery fiasco, and accepting the fact that my productive morning was shot.
When The World Is Crumbling Around You
What’s my secret trick for saving my sanity when it feels like the world is crumbling around me?
Give myself permission to have a bad day.
Yep. That’s it. And that’s usually all it takes.
You see, when you get in that horrible funk and things start spiraling downward fast, your first instinct is to resist it. Turns out when you resist it, it only creates more tension ending in feelings of guilt. Guilty because you think you shouldn’t be feeling that way.
- You shouldn’t feel frustrated.
- You shouldn’t get mad at your kids
- You shouldn’t lose your temper
- You shouldn’t want to throw in the towel and lock yourself in a closet rocking back and forth praying for someone else to take care of the mess.
Well, Girlfriend, I’m here to tell you to STOP should-ing on yourself! It’s making things worse.
The situation is what it is, and frankly, your feelings are always 100% valid. They’re never right or wrong. The part that matters is what you do when you’re all tangled up in feelings of frustration, anger, etc.
Permission Granted!
On your next “Calgon, take me away” kind of day, hit your pause button for a minute. Take a deep breath … and give yourself permission to have a bad day.
It’s okay. You’re still an amazing mom. You still really do love your kids (even though they may have explored what 10 pounds of flour look like on the living room floor, tormented the cat mercilessly while you snuck a shower, or decided to experiment to see if all dozen eggs are gooey on the inside by dropping them on the kitchen floor).
Let it be ok that you’re frustrated. Give yourself a pat on the back for all you do. Give your kids a hug. And then treat yourself to something nice (like a hot cup of tea or something else that soothes your soul). You deserve it!
I’d love to hear from you! What helps you make it through the days where you’re at high risk for Mommy AWOL (absent without official leave)?
Warmly,
