Moments of Pure Craziness

I just spent the last 24 hours with just the kids and I. Although the days are mostly enjoyable, and I feel incredibly blessed to spend this time with the kids, there are moments of pure craziness.

This typically occurs in the afternoon, a bit before dinner time. It might start innocently enough with Dillon getting upset that Emma stole a toy from him. And before you know it, it’s all out screaming and chaos. If they could swing from the light fixtures, they probably would be.

It’s been our thing lately to show the kids how to calm down, when emotions get out of control. To be examples. So that means, I find myself being “ultra” calm. Freakishly calm. But inside, I’m anything but calm.

Listening to No-Drama Discipline has helped in these moments. A big part has been understanding that kids of Dillon’s and Emma’s age have no way of communicating big feelings. So it’s been helpful to put myself in their shoes, be “calm,” and try to connect and understand (ya - much easier said than done).

And I can’t help but to think that headspace has also helped out tremendously to keep grounded, and to not completely loose it in these moments.

And this is all after only 24 hours with the kids! I mean, I’m glad I’m able to experience this, as it gives me an entirely new respect for what many of MariKate’s days can be like. This full-time parenting thing truly is one of the hardest jobs around.

Today I’m heading into the office - which is now more like a fun day off!