For me, the hardest part about being a working mom by far is parenting, especially discipline.
This week I took the kids to the beach post-work. I let them wander towards the boardwalk while I spent 2 minutes cleaning up the beach toys. In that time, my kids rolled around in the sand covering every inch of their bodies. Rowan then took his pants off and ran down the beach. We are talking two minutes!
I was mortified. The angry mom voice came out. And, frankly, I ruined the end of a lovely time at the beach. Looking back, there were so many things I could have done differently:
Set them up for success by not letting them run off without me, even for 2 minutes. Better yet, had them help clean up.
Seen the bigger perspective. No one was hurt and a naked 3-year-old butt on the beach is no biggie.
Taken me out of it. Honestly, I reacted out of personal embarrassment versus what was best for my kids.
Just laughed. Now I can see the humor in my little streaker. I wish I had in the moment.
Anyhow, parenting is really hard. We're tired. They developmentally should be pushing our buttons.
So, don't beat yourself up if you have an incident like mine. Dust yourself off, learn from it, and move on. I mean, how can I stay mad at these little faces for long? #guilt #parentingtips #selfcompassion
