Do you have young children at home?
Being a parent can be wonderful. Being a parent can also be challenging! What to do?
1. Practice “good enough.” Stop insisting that everything you do in your home must measure up to a certain standard. So if you spent the afternoon with the kids, your evening meal may just be getting by. Maybe you eat a frozen pizza. That is ok. You can’t do it all. Yet, you can ratchet up the tension quickly by insisting that everything must be done a certain way.
2. Lower the volume and think about how you sound. Sometimes when things get challenging, we start yelling. Then we speak sharply to a child or to our spouse. When I am upset, it can be very helpful to deliberately lower my voice.
3. Some of us need to say “no” more often. When I am already stressed, why am I complicating our lives by saying “yes” to another challenge or obligation? This is a season of life that is already very challenging. Why complicate it even more?
4. Be a team player. If you are married, don’t be a difficult person to live with. Think about what it might be like to be married to you. We make withdrawals in our relationships when we roll our eyes, criticize, or attack.
5. Look for ways to take care of yourself. Yes, this can be very challenging. You may need to be very creative about how you and your spouse will each practice good self-care. Spouses could be very helpful by providing opportunities for the other to do something that will fill them up emotionally or physically.