Our son at a particularly moody 3 year old moment

There are definitely up and down days of being a parent.  On some days, it is ALL good and you can’t imagine what you were complaining about the day before. Other days are…… well…..not so good.  But,  Megan from Sorta Crunchy has some great advice about how to use 4 simple strategies to turn those days around. Below are just the highlights of her article. I would suggest reading the whole post. I am going to print it out and put it on the fridge….it’s that good.

1. Understand ages and stages.
One of the most helpful resources I’ve come across in the past year is a series of books written in the 1970s by Louise Bates Ames and Frances L. Ilg (like Your Two-Year-Old: Terrible or Tender). In each book in the series, the authors shed insight on every aspect of development a child experiences at each age. Knowing the why behind my children’s actions provides incredible support in choosing the how of responding to them.

2. Connect feelings to actions.
Children lack the emotional and developmental maturity to express their inner turmoil. It is up to us, as the adult in these situations, to sleuth out what the internal triggers are that are causing the external conflict. Is my child hungry? Tired? Over-stimulated? Jealous? Hurting?

3. Catch them in the act (of being good).
Once upon a time, a long time ago, I read The One-Minute Manager for a graduate level education class. I didn’t realize at the time that the principles of this book would be applicable to parenting, but there is one concept from this business management book that is extremely helpful in family life:  catch them in the act – of doing something good.

4. Sneak in some fun.
This approach doesn’t work in every situation, but I have found that if I can muster a playful or silly response, the distraction and fun dissolves the tense situation. If you watch carefully, you’ll find fun where you least expect it.

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