The intention of this series is to showcase a number of individuals with children primarily in elementary school and younger (But I will interview some mamas of older children too!) I will not be sharing names or photos. Why is this you ask? The purpose of the series is to bond together with our similiarities instead of using our differences to compare each other. Comparison can be the devil when it comes to parenting. I want to try to eliminate factors that would make us doubt ourselves. Please enjoy reading these interviews every Friday over the next few months! –
Interview #7
LET’S FACE IT, THIS MOM GIG IS HARD! WHAT DO YOU FIND TO BE THE HARDEST PART?
I have a very independent and well behaved 3.5 year little boy old an almost two year old little boy who is very needy, and cries often. I try to keep calm in the midst of my youngests’ constant meltdowns and for the most part I do but sadly I find my frustrations normally fall out on my oldest. Moments after dealing with the youngest’s tears I find myself snapping (perhaps screaming/yelling is a more honest description) at my oldest for the smallest things. The look in his eyes in these moments is heart breaking.
Another thing that I find difficult is not rushing my children. I try and tell myself they will have to be rushing for the rest of their lives…however when the clock is ticking and we are on the verge of running late I have a hard time maintaining my patience.
LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MAMA MOMENT YOU CAN LOOK BACK ON AND LAUGH ABOUT NOW?
WHICH MOMENTS IN PARENTING MAKE YOU FEEL THE MOST VULNERABLE OR UNSURE? WHAT RESOURCES DO YOU TURN TO IN ORDER TO FEEL BETTER?
Discipline. I am always second guessing my disciplinary actions. Are my methods working…am I being to hard on my kids am I expecting too much or am I not expecting enough and bring a pushover?
I talk to friends and family with young kids and parenting blogs and websites.
WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS, AND SOME ARE WORSE THAN OTHERS. WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO COPING STRATEGY TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE REALLY ROUGH SPOTS?
I pack up the kids and get out of the house…we might go visit friends or family, head to the park, or just walk around the grocery store. Changing the scenery seems to help all of us.
WE ALL NEED HELP TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN. WHAT TOOLS DO YOU USE TO HELP ORGANIZE YOUR FAMILY? (APP, PRODUCT, ETC.)
I use my I phone calendar and try to implement rules that prevent us from ebing over-scheulded. For example I only allow us to have one planned activity per weekend day. I also keep weekly to-do lists.
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN YOU ON BEING A PARENT?
Remember that all parents have bad days and react in ways that we are ahasmed of. Do the best you can every day and never stop trying to do better.
Here I share blog posts from other writers that I’ve read that inspired me as a mother. The Hands Free Mama is an awesome blog that I discovered from this post. I just finished reading her book and I highly recommend it!