It’s every mom’s worst nightmare: Dad has already left for work. Your kindergartner refuses to wear anything but her Cinderella princess costume to school. Your second grader just threw a fit because you told him he can’t have cupcakes for breakfast, and the baby gives you a menacing look before hurling her bowl of applesauce right onto the floor. The clock stops as the bowl tumbles to the ground in slow motion, sloshing applesauce all over the floor as you dive and miss, with your slow-mo voice yelling “Noooooo” before the crash.
We all know how you want to react at this point, but here’s how you should handle a hectic home situation like this.
Tempting: Change your name, flee the country, and never look back.
Right thing: Leave the room for a few minutes to cool down. The old “count to ten” method never fails, especially in a high-stress environment like mornings with the kids. If you’ve got older kids, give them the responsibility to help out with the younger ones. Put Daddy on the phone to give kids the further incentive to behave, and take some time during the phone call to relax with a cup of chamomile tea and some makeshift yoga to keep your blood pressure low.
Tempting: Start a game of hide-and-go-seek where you count to one million.
Right thing: Distract extra rowdy kids with games on your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Compromise with your second grader by telling him he can play five minutes of Jewel Quest on iWin.com download games if he eats a healthy breakfast instead of cupcakes. Put the baby in her crib with a few toys and games to keep her busy while you get everyone else ready, and promise your kindergartner a Disney princess game if she changes for school.
Tempting: Sell your kids on eBay.
Right thing: Call in reinforcements. You love them, but 24-hour motherhood is tough work. In fact, according to babycenter.com, three is the most stressful number of kids to have. So when things get extra hectic, don’t be afraid to call on your backup team for support. Trade carpooling days with other mothers in the neighborhood, hire a babysitter or personal assistant to help out a few days a week, and don’t forget to call on grandma and grandpa for help too. After all, they’ve been through it before, and they’ll enjoy the karma you’re experiencing after your wild childhood.
Tempting: Let your kids make the rules.
Right thing: After days and weeks of arguing about why your kids can’t have cake for breakfast, you might be tempted to just give in and let them make the rules. If you’ve never caved under pressure before, I’m warning you now: DO NOT DO THIS. Rewarding a temper tantrum only encourages more temper tantrums, so keep your foot down and emphasize rewards only for good behavior.
Choosing between what’s tempting and what’s right isn’t always easy– especially when you’ve got baby drool dripping down your shirt and Adventure Time quotes screamed into your ear. However, being a mom is one of those rewarding experiences that you seriously have to earn. So before you act, run through these possible scenarios first and push those fantasies to the side while you do the right thing.
Cover photo from Flickr user J E Theriot / jetheriot.
| Candace Baumgardner Candace is a mom of three and a computer software engineer. She writes about tech trends from her home in Seattle, which enables her to spend more time with her kids. |
