Lately having a toddler has been a bit trying for me. The constant "whys," the curiosity bubbling over into everything, the sometimes seemingly outright defiance, the fact that sometimes I wonder if her ears really work at all.
Having a three year old is so much fun and so much work all at the same time.
I love that she's curious about everything. I love that she asks questions and wants to know more about just about every issue known to mankind.
I hate that when I'm tired or frustrated or frazzled that my patience is short with her. I hate that sometimes I take my anxieties about other things in the world and let them boil over into how I'm interacting with her.
I've been doing a lot of thinking on this lately. Lots of reading and compiling of information.
I found this blog post at Code Name Mama and definitely think it's worth a read:
100 Things to Do Instead of Yelling or Spanking
I strive to be a gentle parent but I'll admit it's difficult at times lately. I've found myself doing a lot of "1-2-3-Calm down" (the technique we use with Beanie when she is uber upset and can't calm down enough to let us know what's going on).
It's important for me not to take my anxiety and let it influence how I interact with Beanie. She's three. She's curious. She's exploring her world and learning new things every day. Sometimes it's infuriating. Most of the time it amazes me.
How do you deal with things when you feel like you're reaching the breaking point?
Wow, thanks for the link! It's a great list - and something I need to put into effect! I find myself yelling way too often.
ReplyDeleteElla is well acquainted with "mommy timeouts" - when I extract myself from the room and take 60 seconds to calm myself down.
I do believe I read that point almost hourly these days - thanks for the link! My not-so-great plan so far has been to just take a deep breath and focus on talking slowly - which doesn't always work.
ReplyDelete