♥ Inspiration: Read this meme and if it resonates with you,  I invite you to read on…

♥ Insight: Something for you to ponder…

It’s not always easy being a parent, least of all when we’re feeing tired, hungry, stressed or unwell ourselves. It’s in these moments that we’re most likely to have one of our ‘not so shiny’ parenting moments. You know what I’m talking about… the kind of outburst that we regret just moments after it occurs. This happens to us all of us sometimes… doesn’t it??  (I sure hope it’s not just me!).

So, what can we do about it?

Well, we can’t deny how we feel, nor should we BUT we also can’t unleash our big feelings on those around us, least of all on our children. What we can do is put our focus on mustering up our ‘on the other hand’ thoughts and feelings.  Your self talk might sound something like this inside your head… ‘Yes I’m frustrated, yes I’m feeling stirred up by my child right now but on the other hand I don’t want to hurt them with my words or actions because I love them so very much’.

Sounds simple right? It really does, but simple doesn’t always mean easy. It takes practice.

Each time we remind ourselves in the very moment that we feel ourselves starting to ‘lose our grip’ that we have children who are taking their cues from us, who love us and who we want the very best for, we are more likely to snap ourselves back into more controlled and tempered behaviour.

It won’t work like magic every time, but the more conscious we become about what’s going on for us emotionally in the moment, the better we will get at managing ourselves and our reactions. The deep love we have for our children might just be the inspiration we need to become the sort of people we’re yearning to be.

♥ Intention: If you feel moved to set an intention for today, this could be it…

Today I will pay closer attention to how I am feeling when interacting with others, particularly  with my children. When I feel my frustration rising I will try and temper my reaction with ‘on the other hand’ thoughts and remind myself that I want to be the best version of myself for my children.  (And when I don’t manage to do this, I will give myself a little grace and try again when the next opportunity presents itself…because it will.) ♥

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