Staying calm in the storm…
Staying calm in the middle of a storm when you have screaming and crying kids is SO tough! Trust me when I tell you, I have been there! At one point time I had 4 kids all under the age of 5! Needless to say, I have had my share of screaming kids and there were days I wanted to run out of my house and down the street, as my mom use to say! Ha Ha My mom also use to say, If someone says MOM one more time, I’m changing my name! As a child, I would always wonder what in the world would she change her name to?? And where would she go if she ran down the street?? As a parent, it’s always good to know you are not the only one that have these feelings and it definitely doesn’t make you a bad parent!
One of the main things I learned with my 4 boys was when I felt that way; I would try to take 5 minutes to myself if at all possible. Even in the midst of chaos walking away for 5 minutes won’t hurt anything, as long as the kids are all physically safe. Taking 5 will give you a moment to take some deep breaths so you can feel balanced again. I know you are probably thinking it’s easier said than done. Yes, sometimes it is, but if you do accomplish the time by yourself for rebalancing you will find it to be well worth the effort. Another approach that worked for me is when the kids went for a nap, I would take full advantage of the “ME TIME”. Now I would not get to have “ME TIME” everyday but I did try to do it when I felt I just needed that extra time for myself and I had a rough day or should I say dayS with an S! I would enjoy sitting on the couch watching my favorite TV show. Your time might be more along the lines of taking a bubble bath or painting your fingernails. We all have different things that work for us and it doesn’t matter what that looks like as long as we take the time when we can. Sometimes the laundry would just have to wait. After all it wasn’t going anywhere so why not, right?
I remember so vividly one day when my twins and oldest son were fighting. At that very moment, I was nursing my newborn baby with tears streaming down my face as I watched my oldest 3 running and screaming. I’m really not sure exactly why I was crying other than I felt overwhelmed and was just getting adjusted to our latest addition to our family. Keep in mind, the older three kids were, 3,3, and 5 years old. If I am going to be honest with you, I had several moments like that! I just wish I had someone to reassure me that I wasn’t alone and I was going to come out on the other side with a happy family of 6!
I also wish I was aware of Essential Oils and the benefits for the whole family! I definitely would have taken advantage of that for sure! I would have had a diffuser in every room and would be rolling a bottle of Adaptiv all over me everyday! Ha Ha I might have been willing to just take a dive into a tub of oils on some of my most stressful days with my 4 little ones! Ha Ha Because when you are in the moment sometimes you feel like you’re going crazy and wonder what in the world did I do thinking I could handle 4 kids!
I look back now and think I wouldn’t change a moment and I made it through! We had a few bumps in the road but it was worth it! Just remember to TAKE 5 whenever you can to help you through your moments of chaos! Find another mom that is going through the same thing or have been through it that can share some wisdom! You will be glad you did!
Share some of your stories with me on my community page! I would love to hear about you and your family!
