We all have moments that drive us crazy at the moment. Looking back you think of those moments with LOVE in your heart referring back as “good old times”.
I can still remember one evening, a while ago, when I felt really overwhelmed. I was tired from a long day at work and my husband had gone on another business trip (read: vacation, in my opinion:D). My home looked like it had been caught in a tornado – clothes and toys everywhere – and the kids were acting crazy. The living room floor looked like JFK airport runway on Friday afternoon. Something was constantly landing on it; whether it was food, toys or even, one of the kids.
It was not their evening to cooperate at all. They were crying, fighting with each other; plus they were really hungry. I had no idea what to cook because I hadn’t shopped in a week and my mind was filled with the kind of emptiness that other people meditate for hours to achieve. The fridge was looking like it belonged to a bachelor, not a family – lots of empty space to ice skate on. Not to mention that cooking is the last activity on my “Favourite things to do” list.
As my attitude was getting worse, so did the kids’. I didn’t even want to think about putting them to bed soon, since it would lead to another several hours of fighting.
I realized I had a couple of options – make it a miserable evening for everyone or change my attitude and make it a fun one which would allow me to spend some quality time with my kids. I chose the second option.
3 easy steps how to change your attitude:
- Put things into perspective. Even if I clean it up today, it’ll be the same tomorrow. So clean if you can but don’t stress about your messy home. After the last teenager has moved out, you’ll probably miss that mess.
- Be thankful. You have the greatest gift in the world – cool kids with whom you can learn and grow.
- Focus on the controllables and don’t worry about the rest. Do what you can with what you have (pasta) and eat it like a million dollar meal. At least you can eat it with people worth more than a million dollars – your own awesome kids!
Here’s what I decided to do:
I put on some good country music which my older son claimed to be something that only old people listen to (thank you, my dear) and demanded something for kids. So I put on some kids songs which; I supposed, was better than silence.
I decided to cook something delicious that I knew the whole family would enjoy – good old Pasta a la Ketchup. A true classic my kids will enjoy later in their college days as well.
"Kids grow up fast – don’t spend your valuable time with them being in a bad mood!"
We were dancing and laughing in the kitchen; making stupid dance moves with the older one and teaching them to the younger one as well.
We then enjoyed our gourmet meal at the local cafeteria – the small kids’ table, and it actually turned out to be a very fun evening for all of us. The kids were pretty tired after all that action so the bed routines went a lot smoother than I expected.
That evening taught me a valuable lesson – when things are not going our way, we can complain and be miserable or just change our attitude and enjoy the moment.
You know the best time to act is now, right?
So, while you already have this post opened, take a couple of minutes to think about the following questions, answer them and have them sent to your email so you can go over them any time you want.
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