i go to bed each night thinking how truly amazing my kids are, how incredible our day was together, and how much fun it is to be with them. like i said in the past, sure we have our moments, but in all honestly they are few and far between. my mom used to tell me when hudson was younger that he was going to flip a switch and not always be so good, but so far he has proven her wrong. it’s also like i mentioned before in regards to my teaching days and being told that i was always getting the good class. NONE of this is true. my students and now my kids are well behaved because i take tons and tons of time to teach them my expectations. people are always shocked that hudson, at 2 years old, asks without prompt if he can please be excused from the table. you, too can have this, but not without hard work. it takes lots of love, time, and commitment to raise happy and respectful kids. i don’t think you can give them anything better than these characteristics and values.
i don’t end my day feeling frusturated with my kids and you don’t have to either. there are things you can do to help make your day run smoother. routine and boundaries…..2 words that are so very important. i can’t stress these 2 things enough, if you are looking to try and create a more peaceful and relaxed home environment. first off, i let nothing slide. i set my boundaries and stick to them. kids love to know what we expect of them, because this allows them the capability to please us. kids strive to please us and by setting rules, restrictions and boundaries they learn what it is that makes you happy.
set routines in place for your day. if you stick to your routine the majority of the time, then your kids won’t be thrown through a loop if you have to take them out of it for some reason…travel, special occasions, etc. don’t set a routine that you can’t stick to. i would suggest setting a nap routine, bedtime routine and regular transition routines and try and stick to them consistently until they are in place. with these routines your child will know what to expect and therefore won’t have any anxiety about their day or their world. this will decrease the amount of tantrums and bad behaviour.
remember it takes time to train your kids to follow these routines, so don’t give up. hold strong and don’t give in to anything. follow through with what you are implementing. this will give your child trust in you and their world.