parenting tips

What do you do when your five year old child wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, has three timeouts by the time its 11am and is not listening to a single word you're saying? Not to mention that you have a severe headache and all you want to do is run away?

A. Drink a liter of vodka

B. Go to the gym and sweat out all your frustrations

C. Insert your head into the refrigerator and slam the door shut

D. Write a new blog post

E. All of the above

Obviously I chose "D". Although "E" sounded very tempting too. :) Okay I am already feeling better.

But lets get serious here. As parents our job is to do everything we can to raise good, well-rounded children so they can grow up and be upstanding members of society. We are expected to not only discipline our kids while being impeccably consistent, but to also manage the house, the chores, the social calendar, the sporting events and the schooling. Not to mention, you have to keep yourself groomed and decent looking so people wont think Quasi Moto has escaped from Notre Dame.

So what do you do when you feel like there is nothing else than can be squeezed out of you? Especially a day after you have rewarded yourself with a bi-yearly "mom's night out" and you're exhausted and cranky? So much so that you don't even have time to reminisce about your old college days when you could wake up on a Sunday morning and do absolutely nothing.

There is so much advice out there in bookstores, on the internet, from other parents and of course the type we all love most - from our own family. But here are some tips that I am going to use to remind myself of what I need to do today.

#1. Lead by example - If I remain calm, cool and collected then my kids won't think that's I have lost control and therefore not try to take advantage of me.

#2. Keep them busy and entertained - Today we are going to get out of the house and have some fun. I think we'll take the kids swimming and then maybe to a park or go for a walk.

#3. Give them clear guidelines - I think I remember Super Nanny saying that kids need to know what to expect next. They don't do well with unpredictable situations.

#4. Make sure the leaders are on the same team - I will make sure to set time aside today so I can talk with my husband and strategize on handling future situations.

#5. Squash any insecurities - I will make sure to tell my children how much I love them so they can feel secure and happy.

If you have any other tips, please feel free to send them my way.

Over and Out!

To read more from Tania, click on the link below:
http://itsallabigscam.blogspot.com/