Rewind. Recharge, Refocus.
One peaceful strategy to avoid a tantrum.
Most days our house wakes up to smiles and cuddles. Other times it all goes well until the one and only beloved “stripy” T-shirt turns out not to be dry thus throwing a wrench into one pre-schoolers’ plans. A grumpy growl face then instigates the toddler and well it could get very hectic from this point on but if I am awake enough to get my game on this is how I try to save the day.
Pause and Rewind: It’s sort of like a do-over. I empathize with the frustrations and then I suggest we rewind the moment. Often we add in a little turning in a circle for flair and fun of course. In itself this little turn around already lightens the mood. With a little laughter we then proceed to the next step.
Recharge: In the hustle and bustle of starting the day or getting things done some days we need to really pause and take an extra minute or 10 for extra cuddling. Recharging our connection makes everything easier to handle. Sitting in mommy’s lap or a great big hug, or even sitting alone in a quiet space to vent some feelings can go a long way to help reset the mood.
Refocus: Now it’s time to find a solution. Could a different shirt possibly take the place of beloved stripy today? Or could we eat breakfast in pajamas while the dryer zaps stripy dry? Giving options seems to work the best and restores so much control back to the preschooler who can now delight in feeling in charge of his life.
So maybe this takes about 5 or 10 minutes to solve and maybe it seems like a lot of wasted time. But really, if 10 minutes makes for a happy bunch of children, avoids a tantrum and misdirected aggression then I will happily invest those minutes for a happier morning!
Ariadne Brill
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