5 Ways to Relieve Stress: Are Your Kids Making You Go Crazy?

Do your children ever make your head feel like it's going to just pop right off if you have to repeat yourself one more time? I am constantly saying things like "Stop touching your brother", "Can you please calm down", "Stop doing that", "Can you please be quiet"...the list could go on and on.

Sometimes I feel like my oldest son hears another language when I am speaking to him. I might as well be with how well he listens to me. I often can repeat myself ten times and he still won't listen. He seems to go in spurts with his listening abilities when it comes to my husband and I.

He can listen perfectly occasionally but more often than not we have to repeat ourselves. Although it's funny that at school he has one of those glowing halos above his head. Maybe it's an authority figure thing? I much rather it be this way than having him be rotten at school, but I really hope his at home listening skills kick in here soon.

Here are a few things I like to do so I don't go completely mommy dearest on him:

1. Close my eyes and go to happy place for a few minutes. Thinking about something else for a little bit helps separate my boggled mind from the situation. Then I can react more calmly than I would in the heat of the moment.

2. Take deep, deep breaths. Deep breathing is a natural stress reliever. That's why you always hear it as a tactic to use in stressful situations (i.e. when you're scared or in labor)

3. Try not to let everything little bother me. If I reacted to every little thing my children do that I don't like... I would be a bald woman, in the corner of my house, in a fetal position, constantly repeating "No, don't do that". Now, we don't want that do. Do we?

4. If I get too stressed out explaining my reasoning for being upset gives me a chance to reflect on the situation. I have to calmly explain why I am upset, what they did wrong, and how we can prevent that from happening again. This also tends to help my son understand why he should listen. I almost see that cartoon light bulb turn on above his head.

5. Take a parent time out. If I am at my wits end going to another room for a little bit helps me clear my mind. I can then go out and tackle the stresses that await me.

Hopefully writing these things out will help me remember to not overact in times of stress. I am very high strung person so that is quite a task for me to do. I have to remember he is just a kid. My kid. My kid that I love with all my heart. No matter what.

Written by Krystle with http://www.homejobsbymom.com