Parenting is hard.
Those of you raising a tiny human know how exhausting it can get. But the moments you get to spend with them mean more than the headaches they may put you through.
A Fresh Start
As many of you may know Jeff and I had our second child in early November. Caring for an infant and a toddler means being pulled different ways, and having to balance it all. Thankfully, we’ve been able to do it on our own.
But that’s all part of the beauty of being a parent of multiples.
Although it’s a lot easier this time around, I’ve been doing my best to improve my daily routine and make the most out of whatever time I have to myself. I take in every day for what it is. If today isn’t a good one, there’s always tomorrow. And I remind myself that everything will be fine. No one has the right method to parenting, and I’m still exploring motherhood.
But exploring isn’t always fun.
Controlling Your Frustration
I’ve found that toddler tantrums are very real, and they can get really annoying. Oftentimes I have to walk away before yelling at my son.
I won’t say that yelling doesn’t happen, because it does at least two or three times a week — and that’s actually an improvement!
With time, I’ve had to teach myself to control my frustrations around my toddler because a) his personality is a lot like mine, and b) my actions impact his reaction.
Because I’m still learning how to cope with certain things, I keep an on-going mental list of how to deal with the tantrums. These three ways always come to mind, hopefully they can help someone else out there:
1. Compare your other relationships.
I like to compare how I treat most of my relationships with other people to the way I treat the one I have with my son. As in, I don’t yell at others to get things done so why am I yelling at a child who is simply learning the ropes?
2. Switch it up.
Toddlers love routines, but sometimes they just don’t want to do something. I’ve had to cut my grocery shopping short a few times because my son was exhausted and it was nap time. We often take a break, grab lunch, and head home. Having a full tummy helps him sleep through and makes unloading the car a little easier without a tired toddler.
3. Plan ahead.
During my toddler’s nap time I keep in mind all the things he likes to do. Lately it’s been all about painting. It used to be coloring, but hey, the bigger the kid, the more the mess, right?
Prepping up a small station for him to go crazy, so to speak, can really make waking up a lot more interesting. And it does melt my heart when he smiles after seeing everything.
Regardless of the craziness I have to deal with throughout the day, I’m embracing every moment of my life as a mother of two.
I may struggle at times, but that’s part of life: you breathe in fire and exhale success.