Clearly it's going to be one of those days. Evidently the only way things will get done is if I do them properly first and wait for someone to come along and change it, which of course means I need to do it again. Count to 10 and start again.
Try to cuddle a child and get the brush off, everyone is busy, but set foot in the kitchen and I'm the most popular person ever! Count to 10 and start again! (Perhaps a hug during that 10 count will serve a dual purpose!)
Put away the laundry and find it on the floor 5 mins later "I was getting dressed all by myself!" count to 10 and start again...
Sure, they are always trying to help, but sometimes it's not very helpful. I don't want to get frustrated and discourage people from helping, so I start counting and remember how it looks to them. They don't know why I'm mad there are clothes everywhere, they want me to be proud because I didn't have to dress everyone myself. Well, I am proud, I would just like it if there was less clean up for me afterwards...
What good does it do to count to ten? It allows space between you and the frustration, and allows you to take a breath and refocus. This is simply from my own experience of course, but I've found that by counting to ten the surprise of the occurance has worn off and I can then find a solution, or at the very least the humor in it. After a nice count up to 10 the nail polish up her arm seems more amusing then embarassing or difficult to remove. It helps her as well.
Problems learning to tie a show? Don't yell at mommy, just count to ten and try again. Things are hard to learn, and once a child is frustrated it gets harder for them to complete a task. By teaching them to count to ten before they act they will learn to consider what they say or do before they say it or do it. This could help with anger, frustration, hurt feelings, and will later help them interact with others in a kinder and more considerate way. Even learning to count to three before saying something hurtful or in anger can make a difference.
There will always be annoying things in life, what matters is not how many things bother us in a day, but how we deal with them all and keep them from getting out of control. Count to 10, and start again.
Try to cuddle a child and get the brush off, everyone is busy, but set foot in the kitchen and I'm the most popular person ever! Count to 10 and start again! (Perhaps a hug during that 10 count will serve a dual purpose!)
Put away the laundry and find it on the floor 5 mins later "I was getting dressed all by myself!" count to 10 and start again...
Sure, they are always trying to help, but sometimes it's not very helpful. I don't want to get frustrated and discourage people from helping, so I start counting and remember how it looks to them. They don't know why I'm mad there are clothes everywhere, they want me to be proud because I didn't have to dress everyone myself. Well, I am proud, I would just like it if there was less clean up for me afterwards...
What good does it do to count to ten? It allows space between you and the frustration, and allows you to take a breath and refocus. This is simply from my own experience of course, but I've found that by counting to ten the surprise of the occurance has worn off and I can then find a solution, or at the very least the humor in it. After a nice count up to 10 the nail polish up her arm seems more amusing then embarassing or difficult to remove. It helps her as well.
Problems learning to tie a show? Don't yell at mommy, just count to ten and try again. Things are hard to learn, and once a child is frustrated it gets harder for them to complete a task. By teaching them to count to ten before they act they will learn to consider what they say or do before they say it or do it. This could help with anger, frustration, hurt feelings, and will later help them interact with others in a kinder and more considerate way. Even learning to count to three before saying something hurtful or in anger can make a difference.
There will always be annoying things in life, what matters is not how many things bother us in a day, but how we deal with them all and keep them from getting out of control. Count to 10, and start again.