Parenting - Finding a Balance

I still haven't found a balance. I'm constantly searching, but I'm still looking. This week, my two year old threw some really serious tantrums. She was screaming, she was lying down on the floor and kicking, she throws crayons, books, food, clothes toys, you name it. i often wonder what I was like at 2. Probably the same. Every night I pray for patience and guidance. I am a single mother, it's all upto me. I thank God, because my patience is strong. Yes, I have my moments of sheer frustration. Luckily, I have some tools:

1.) I have my breath. I can always take long, slow deep breaths. As I breath in, I think "in with the positive." As I exhale, I think "out with the negative." This helps me a great deal and I can't do it anywhere.

2.) The second thing I do when I need to destress is walking. It's winter here in Vancouver, so I bundle me and my daughter up, I put her in the stroller with some snacks and we head out for a walk. I walk off the stress, we both get some fresh air and a change of scenery and return feeling calm and content.

3.)The third thing I do to relieve stress is call another mom freind when my daughter is sleeping. By the end of the day, we both have some story to share about our days as mothers. After we vent, we somehow seem to be able to put a humorous spin on the days events. Laughing with a freind really helps.

I absolutley love being a Mother, but holy cow, it is strenuous and challenging at times. I want to send a shout out to all the moms out there, you're amazing and wonderful. Give yourself credit. We have an important role in this world.

A Valuable Lesson in Parenting

A few days ago, I wrote an article expressing my frustration with my daughter's irratabilty, tantrums and lack of desire to nap. I was so annoyed
and worn out. Later that day, a friend and fellow mother, told me that my daughter was teething; she was getting her second year molars. Once she told me this, my daughter's behaviours made more sense to me. I felt bad that I had I had been so impatient and so insistent that she take her nap. I've been thinking about this for the last couple days and reslised that the real error I made was in being too rigid about our routine. My daughter is normally great about taking her naps. Would the world end if she didn't take her nap? Absolutely not! Was she being defiant? No! Structure and routine are great, but flexibilty is also important. Even though we had a dificult day, I learned a valuable lesson - be flexible!