- Change your morning routine to include more connection, so everyone starts the day in a good mood. (Wondering how? Here are some ideas) .
- Stop fighting with your child about a particular issue and work out a win/win solution that meets your needs — and his.
- If some behaviour from your child drives you crazy, consider what is driving that behaviour and make it your new project to address that. For instance, if sibling rivalry is causing friction in your house, make a plan to strengthen your relationship with each child, teach the kids skills to work out their conflicts, and emotion-coach each child to work through their jealousy. (There are lots of Sibling resources on this website).
- If you’re tired of fighting about screen time, start over with a screen fast, and ease back into screen usage with a written agreement that you can live with.
- If you’re tired of doing all the work to keep your house picked up, have a family meeting and come up with solutions so that everyone participates.
If you’re like most parents, you have a long list of things that are sapping your energy. Why not pick one, and make a plan to make it better?
Whether it takes a week or three months to make a change, you’ll feel a lot happier as you work toward your goal. Just take it one step at a time, and cheer yourself on.
Every time you resolve a long-standing problem, throw something away, cross something off your list, or remove a negative influence, you’re casting off a burden. That gives you more energy to do what’s really important, whether that’s staying patient with your child or nurturing yourself. You won’t have as many breakdowns in your life. And you’ll probably find you feel a whole lot more alive.
Find the original article here.
Dr. Laura Markham is the founder of AhaParenting.com and author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings and her latest book, the Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Workbook.
