Parties have never been my thing. I think when it comes to big group gatherings, I find it so hard to know where I should be or which conversation I should join in with that I just end up on the sidelines, observing.
Today was different. Today I made it through my daughter’s birthday party, where she was able to invite her first school friends. Don’t get me wrong; I still found it incredibly difficult, but I am proud that I was able to show up for my daughter and saw a glimmer of the mum I want to be.
Up to now, we’ve only had a few family get-togethers, which my daughter thoroughly enjoyed. It was easier for me to manage my anxiety because I was surrounded by loved ones. It felt less unpredictable, meaning I was able to engage and enjoy the day without being consumed by the anxiety and nervousness that I would feel at a larger gathering.
I know I can easily build things up in my head and blow things out of proportion. Just the sheer thought of having to entertain parents and children that I don’t really know puts me into a state of panic.
Yet today, I did it. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I felt slightly awkward at times, but the conversations for the most part flowed naturally. I didn’t feel like I needed to force anything.
When I felt a mum might be feeling a little left out, as she didn’t know anyone else, I went out of my way to talk to her. I dealt with another child needing a change of clothes. I tried my best to speak up when I needed to.
Now I’m not saying I’m cured and that I can now cope with throwing a full class party for thirty children, but I have proven to myself today that I am more capable than I believed possible.
Today I feel proud of myself!
Reflections
I think the thing I will take from this the most is that I can easily overplay things in my head, to the point that they become something that will most likely not even happen.
It comes from a real depth of uncertainty: not knowing what will happen, how people will perceive me, and how I will cope with it all.
I know I shouldn’t care what people think of me, but I think that comes from a deep feeling of not feeling accepted. I still don’t know where I fit into the world, so I always feel like people won’t like me. I also have a bad habit of saying something daft that I didn’t want to say and instantly regretting it, awkwardly tripping over something, or being just generally clumsy.
In times like these, we just have to remember that a little uncertainty is okay. It’s impossible to know everything or every outcome. But by facing these uncertain moments, we will prove to ourselves that it’s okay and we can get through things, no matter how much our anxiety tries to tell us otherwise.
One of my favourite mantras at the moment is: Avoidance is not the answer. Whenever I’m feeling like my mind is spiralling, I remind myself that avoidance will feed the anxiety; avoidance lets the anxiety win.
From the minute we wake up, we are bombarded with a constant reminder that we need to be fitter, we need to live healthier, and we need to be better. But how do you achieve this when you feel like you’re just surviving from day to day? When you’re simply trying to keep your head above water in the sea of requirements placed upon you.
As a parent of young children, life is understandably busy from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed. Finding time to fit in even just a little bit of fitness is often a weight on my mind.
On top of parenting, I, unfortunately, suffer from anxiety, which leads to frequent mood swings and low moods. Fitness really is a necessity more than a want, but I find it difficult to muster the mental motivation.
Fitness is a great mood regulator; there is no doubt about it. It releases endorphins, so for me, it is probably one of the most important things that I need to embrace. Not only will it make me healthier and more able to physically keep up with my children, it will improve my mental wellbeing, too, which will help me mentally deal with the day-to-day pressures of being a parent.
Having young children does make it harder; the day is busier, but ultimately I know I have to make the time, not make excuses.
Reflections
So how do I make time? I’ve always found this concept hilarious; like you can just pluck an extra hour out of thin air and, voilà, you now have the time to work out!
Well, here’s the thing: fitness does not need to be difficult to be effective. We don’t need to be suddenly burning our way through a 45-minute cardio workout. We don’t need to be working out five times a week.
Obviously, working out more will give greater results. That is a no-brainer. But if you’re anything like me, you think too far ahead; you put unnecessary pressure on yourself that in order to be healthier, fitter, and mentally stronger, you have to give it your all or nothing.
We don’t!
If we put that pressure on ourselves that we’re not achieving because we’re not hitting the gym several times a week or walking 3 hours a day, then most likely, we will fail.
We may start that way, and maybe we last a week or two, giving it our all, but we will soon realise that it is not sustainable in the long term.
So how do we make time and increase fitness in our lives effectively?
With small intentions.
Simply starting with small intentions is key. It’s key to building strong, healthy habits; it’s key to reducing the overwhelm that leads to us giving up.
Simple things like getting up and walking when you’ve been sitting for a long time.
Been sitting for half an hour? Take 5 minutes to walk up and down the stairs in your house. Stand up and walk/march on the spot. Get your blood pumping, get those endorphins flowing.
For me, personally, I’ve got small children, and I would love to incorporate more time for fitness when they’re actually around. I want to be able to set a good example early in life for them that I didn’t have growing up.
My biggest wall that I know I put up is that I feel self-conscious. I hate being watched while doing anything, so working out in front of my children is anxiety-inducing.
The sad thing is, I know the more I actually do it, the easier it will become. So this is something I need to work on for myself and for them.
I need to set small, good intentions. I need to try to let go of the hang-up that I can’t let anybody see me do things, especially when it comes to fitness.
So when you feel like incorporating fitness into your life is unmanageable and you simply don’t have the time…
Try just 5 minutes.
Set a timer and go for it. Because when you start to feel the benefits: the increased mood, the increased energy levels, the willingness to motivate yourself, that’s when bit by bit, step by step, you will find yourself capable of doing more.
Author’s Note.
I am not a medical professional. Always work within your physical capabilities. If you’re unsure what fitness activities you can incorporate into your life, especially if you have underlying health conditions, speak to your doctor or medical professional.
I speak from experience that I have, many times, gotten carried away, gone hell for leather on a 45-minute workout only to realise a few days later that I’ve caused myself an injury, and why? Because I dove into the deep end before I learned to tread water.
Starting small and working your way up will make you stronger in a healthier, progressive way. Listen to your body, and if you’re unsure, consult a medical professional.
The single dads striving to play the role of mum and dad.
The hard working dads who spend most of their time out at work, unable to spend as much time as they like with their family.
The dads who feel like they’re inadequately not doing as much as they should or want to.
The dads who are estranged from their child(ren) or have lost a child.
The men who want to be dads but haven’t yet had children.
To all men:
Don’t bottle it up: speak up.
With Father’s Day, just around the corner, I want to take a moment to reach out to not just dads but all the men out there that feel like they don’t know where to start when it comes to talking about what is going on in their lives.
Men so easily feel like talking about how they are feeling is somehow a shameful thing to do, like if they show how they are feeling that that in some way makes them less of a man.
That is not the case.
I, and I’m sure many others do too, respect a man more who truly feels and shows his true self.
By talking and speaking up when life is getting you down, it not only helps you but it helps teach our future generations that it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to need support. It’s okay to need help from time to time. It is not something to be ashamed of.
I see this first hand, on a daily basis, how a man in need can hide how they’re feeling, how they don’t want to burden their partners or family and it saddens me.
You can’t heal by bottling thoughts and feelings up inside.
To heal an emotion we have to first let ourselves feel an emotion.
If you feel that you don’t have a friend or family member or trusted person that you can talk to, reach out to a charity, contact your doctor/medical professional, call a helpline. Just please, speak up.
If you are really struggling to contact someone; start by writing it down. Get the words out. Sometimes just finding some way to unburden the heavy load can help to give a sense of release.
Too many men don’t speak up and it costs them their lives. It’s time to change that narrative.
Showing true vulnerability is not a weakness, it is a strength.
Showing true emotions is not a weakness, it is crucial for your overall well-being.
Okay, so obviously happiness is not literally a bunch of tulips, but what if I told you that making just one simple gesture, could lead you to happiness.
Every day, I finish work, I pick up any bits of shopping I might need and every day I walk past the bouquets of flowers and I think to myself, I can’t waste money buying myself a bunch of flowers, so I carry on, pay for my shopping and go home.
Well today I changed the narrative. Today, I bought myself a bunch of tulips. Today I told myself I deserve the bunch of tulips.
A bunch of flowers, no matter how big or small can brighten up a room, release a fresh delicate fragrance and bring a little joy to an otherwise ordinary day.
By allowing yourself such a simple pleasure, for just a moment, you’ve allowed yourself to feel joy. You’ve told yourself you deserve to feel good.
Now I’m not saying this is going to rapidly change your life, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend going out and blowing loads of money to make yourself feel good. It’s not that happiness can only be bought.
It’s simply allowing yourself to be kind to yourself from time to time.
Allowing yourself to take a step towards a happier way of thinking.
Allowing yourself to deserve even a small piece of happiness
By planting the seed that you do deserve happiness, maybe, just maybe, it will help you to grow a happier, healthier way of life.
Today my daughter did something brilliant. She shared a worry with me and I feel so grateful that she felt that was able to share something so important to her.
When it was time for her to go to bed and I thought she was settled for sleep, I returned downstairs, but within minutes she was back at the gate, at the top of the stairs, calling for me.
When I got to the bottom of the stairs, she looked sad and said “Mummy, I’ve got something bad I’m thinking about and I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Of course, I immediately went up the stairs, took her back to her bedroom and sat with her whilst she told me what was on her mind.
“It’s important to tell your grown ups if you have a worry, isn’t it?” she asks.
“Of course it is,” I say. “A worry shared is a worry halved. You can always talk to me about anything.”
She paused for a moment and then told me “When we went out riding the other day and my conker fell in the road, I nearly fell into the road. Next time I’m with Daddy on my bike, I’ll stay with him. Because I was going too fast.”
To shed a bit more light on the topic, their dad had come round to our house. He decided to take our son and daughter out for a mini bike ride, during which time I stayed at home to get some jobs done.
Whilst they were out our daughter, now quite confident on her bike decided to speed off, leaving her dad and little brother behind.
Our son is only two years old and although he is very good on his balance bike, he of course, needs our full supervision.
At this point I receive a call from their dad asking me to come out quick because he was stuck with our son and our daughter had bolted. He was very worried.
When I came out of the house, she was at the end of the road, crying stood staring at something in the road and I think she was about to go retrieve it but he got to her in time, before I could get there.
As I approached them she was in tears, screaming her head off. Whilst they were out, she’d found a conker and because she was going too fast, when she stopped at the edge of the road, she must have dropped it and a car had driven over it.
She was very lucky that it wasn’t her that was driven over! Although, from what I could gather, I don’t think there was a car there, about to turn in, when she approached the road, so that is also lucky.
It’s times like these where being a parent feels like the scariest thing in the world. Our little humans are so unpredictable and our two are particularly headstrong. When they get an idea it’s a split second decision and they’re off.
Their dad was understandably very worried about it all. He hadn’t done anything wrong, it’s just one of those things. Our daughter chose a horrible moment to test a boundary but luckily the strength of her brakes prevailed and it all ended okay.
Well… except for the conker. (Honestly, sometimes if you don’t laugh at something, you’ll cry.)
Since this happened, it is clear that our daughter has been mulling it over in her mind. She thought about it and processed what we said to her about not speeding off too far and realised she shouldn’t do that because it’s not safe.
I feel so proud and grateful that she felt she could share this worry with me.
We often speak about how if there’s anything bothering her that she should share it with us and today she heeded that advice and shared with me.
It just shows that when we think they’re not listening and nothing we say or do matters; it really does. So to anybody that needs to hear it; keep going. You got this.
I wanted to run away today and it hurts to admit that.
I know that my four year old loves me, but when she tells me she doesn’t want to be with me, she wants to be with her daddy, instead; her words cut deep.
Her father and I split up a year and four months ago. It’s been a difficult emotional roller coaster of a year. He is really hard working and works long hours, five days a week, so when he has them on his days off, he understandably devotes his time to them.
He is really hard working and works long hours, five days a week, so when he has them on his days off, he understandably devotes his time to them.
He is able to be, in the words of my daughter, “fun daddy”. I, on the other hand, I’m “mean mummy”; the unfair parent who is always busy and never does anything fun.
I know because she lives with me that she is with me a lot and that makes me, in her eyes, the mean rule setter. So I’m seen as unfair. It doesn’t help that I need them to have consistent routines to be able to cope with the chaos of trying to raise two little humans.
I know that with my anxiety I am often over sensitive, too cautious and sensible. So I do find myself easily dismissing things that make me anxious. Saying no more often. Telling them off for things that maybe don’t warrant admonishment.
I have also been where she is, in the same situation, living with her mum after a relationship break up and I wanted to be with my dad, too. Although I was a little older, like her, I still didn’t understand what had happened and why we didn’t live together, anymore.
My mum, like me, was no doubt highly overwhelmed and stressed on a daily basis but as children we can’t see that. We can’t comprehend what our parents are having to cope with.
I do think in some ways my daughter is probably lashing out because she feels more of a connection with her dad. He is able to devote more attention to them, when they are with him, whereas I’m constantly playing catch up trying to keep on top of everyday life.
I hate hearing myself say “Hang on, I’m just trying to get this job finished,” or “I’m just in the middle of something, please give me a minute.” There’s always jobs to do. I feel like I’m drowning in stuff that requires my attention and as fast as I think I’m catching up, there’s more to do. Or things I’ve forgotten to do.
I’ve been feeling overwhelmed so easily lately and being so overwhelmed is making me irritable and snappy. I hate it. I just want to feel calmer. I want to be more present for my kids, not constantly feeling like I’m putting out fires just trying to survive the days and not giving them enough attention.
We’re already into the beginning of June and I don’t even know where the last five months have gone. It honestly feels like it turned 2025 a few days ago.
Reflections
This is currently an ongoing situation, so I don’t have answers as to how we dealt with this, but one thing I do want to do is try to look at the situation with more compassion.
It’s difficult when you’re in the thick of a strong emotion to think rationally. I’ve been feeling very low and hurt by some of the things she has said to me lately and it’s resulted in me being quite snappy, which, of course is only exacerbating the situation. It’s not how I want to be.
Her dad was good and stepped in to talk to her and explain that what she was saying was making me feel really sad. I could see the emotion building inside her and she came over to apologise and give me a hug.
Later that night after settling her in bed, she came back out of her room and said she wanted to say something. Which she followed with “You are a fun mum.” I gave her such a big hug.
I mean, I’m not. Well, not at this moment in time, I’m not. But it was good of her to say it, as it was her way of being kind. It shows she’s really been thinking about what we’ve said to her.
In some ways this could just simply be a boundary that she is pushing. It has brought about a natural lesson on how we should treat other people. Even if there is something deep down that is bothering her, she does need to learn that to feel something is normal, but it’s not okay to be hurtful to others because of that.
It’s possible that with how busy I am all the time, that my daughter is craving connection with me. I definitely need to look at more ways that I can create some quality time with her.
It feels so difficult now that she has started school, the only times we really get to do things alone is when her brother goes to nursery in the school holidays. Otherwise, it’s always the three of us and unfortunately our support network is very limited, so it’s not really an option to ask for help with the matter.
Finally, I definitely need to work on when I should and shouldn’t tell her off. I need to work on not letting my anxiety rule others. Nor how I act with them. It’s not okay even if I am feeling anxious or stressed to take it out on them.
All we can do as parents is try our best. We aren’t going to get it right, all the time, but reflecting and striving to be better is a good thing. Even if it’s just a small step, each day or week or month. So long as we keep trying to be better, to do better, one day it’ll work out.
Today, I am so thankful that my daughter is a beautiful soul. I, on the other hand, am a fricking ogre!
Just lately, my daughter and I have been clashing a lot. Since she started school, her behaviour has changed dramatically. She’s naughtier, pushes boundaries more and just generally is cheekier. She’s got her dad’s sense of humour, for sure, so she thinks she’s hilarious!
Of course, these are all normal things, kids will always test boundaries, but just lately I’m feeling so intensely overwhelmed that I’m finding it hard to see the funny side. So I just end up snapping and getting frustrated.
My 4 year old daughter was invited to a classmate’s birthday party. When it came to the time to eat, there was a mad dash of children scrambling to the tables to claim a seat and, unfortunately, she did not manage to sit next to her best friend. After finally managing to calm her down, I steered her towards a seat next to a boy in her class. The boy began to protest that his friend had been sitting there. I felt really bad, but my daughter had begun to eat so I apologised profusely to the parents for the mistake. Of which they said not to worry about it.
But when his friend returned, after nipping to the toilet, he was distraught at losing his seat and I felt horrendous. His mum tried to say it was okay and convince her son that he could sit in another seat, but he would not have it. To him it was a really big deal and it was not an option to go sit further around the table.
There was only one thing to do. I knelt down to my daughter and asked kindly if she would mind moving to the next seat that was free, so that he could have his seat back, as I’d mistakenly sat her in his seat. The little star said yes, so we swapped her over to the other seat and he was able, once again, to sit next to his friend.
What a beautiful young girl my daughter is becoming. When an opportunity arose to follow through on an act of kindness for her friend, she did so without hesitation.
I, on the other hand, I am such an ogre lately, and I don’t know how to snap out of it. I just feel so tense and stretched thin. I’m trying to keep my head above water, but the weight of all the things that are required of me are dragging me under. I don’t want to snap at my little girl. I don’t want to feel so overwhelmed all the time. I just want to feel happy again. Whatever that is.
After a huge bout of anxiety, the doctor has put me on anti-anxiety medication. I really hoped the tablets would help. I mean, to some extent they have. I’m definitely not as bad as I was and it’s possible the dosage just isn’t strong enough. I just worry that the tablets are what’s making me worse.
I know what I need to do; I need to contact the doctors and speak about it. I am just so reluctant to go through another round of feeling rubbish from either upping the dosage or changing entirely to something else.
I really should be sleeping, not sitting up writing this. I just needed to write for a minute. I needed to focus on the beauty of my little girl today. Her beautiful soul.
I did at least, despite my ogreish, snappy behaviour today, manage to tell her how amazing she was to help the boy like that.
The little gem also illustrated a book today. It was all her idea. I helped her with some spelling, and her dad and I both helped her to sellotape it together when it started to fall apart. The book contained pages of Paw Patrol pups that she had drawn and their names.
There was even a moment where she realised that the name Chase was a tricky word because the ‘e’ is silent and the ‘e’ is magic, so it makes the ‘a’ sound like it’s name. Amazing! She’s only 4 years old.
I need to strive to be better. I will do better. I have to do better.
Reflections
At the time of writing this post, I needed an outlet for my shame and guilt about how I have been responding, lately, but sometimes it’s difficult to share how we feel with people we know. Or to even know where to begin to make things better.
So I think at times like this we have to think about it from somebody else’s perspective. What would your best friend say if you talked to them about this? What would your therapist say?
I know a good friend of mine would tell me to give myself a break. To take in some perspective. I’m a single mum to two children age 4 years and 2 years. I have a lot going on, it’s understandable that I am stressed, overwhelmed and tired.
So in these moments, where the shame and guilt weigh heavy on our shoulders, try to take a moment to reflect. No parent is perfect, no parent gets it right all the time. The only thing we can do is to reflect, take accountability for our big emotions(we’re not here to make excuses for ourselves), apologise for them and strive to do better next time. And each time, step by step, the change will happen.
I heard a great quote recently which said “All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.” Unfortunately I can’t remember the person’s name who spoke it as it was contained in one of the many videos I watch when doom scrolling on social media.
Authors Note
I don’t really know the exact intentions of this post. I suppose I hope that someone out there, maybe feeling a similar feeling that they’re not doing things right, will take something from this.
Being a parent is tough and sometimes it can feel like trying to climb a mountain with a ten ton weight on your shoulders, when a toddler is just not willing to cooperate. But sometimes we just need to see the little wins for what they are; a win!
My little boy has been asking to buy a blue scooter, so he can ride just like his big sister does and seeing as though we are soon to be entering the beginning of summer, I decided this was probably the perfect time to allow him to learn. He does have a Paw Patrol scooter, but we found that with it having two wheels at the back, rather than at the front, he struggles to be able to ride it.
After buying his scooter, we returned home. I needed to take a parcel to the post office nearby, so it was a great opportunity to let him have a little ride on his new scooter. He was really excited and eager to set off. He even told me not to help when I anxiously hovered my hands in case he wobbled. Silly mummy, he had this, didn’t I know?
He was slow on it, but he rode it most of the way to the post office, with only a little help as the paths where we live are so poorly managed, the paving slabs are really uneven in places. My daughter had already had an unfortunate face plant on her scooter when riding this path, so even with her I find myself cautiously keeping them steady on the bumpier bits. As awful as it was, it did prove to be a valuable lesson to her why we must always wear a helmet, because had she not worn it she would have broken her nose, for sure.
If you hadn’t noticed by now, I do get a little off topic sometimes lol!Back to the topic at hand.
We made it to the post office and I explained to my little boy that he couldn’t ride the scooter in the shop. He must get off and walk nicely, which he did without too much fuss and an acknowledging “Okay, mummy.” However, once we entered the shop and were stuck in a boring queue, waiting for a member of staff to be free, he wanted to ride his scooter again and tried his hardest to get back on it.
Understandably, for a two year old, waiting even a minute seems like a lifetime, so the paddy began. I held my cool, sure that my face was becoming flushed. I don’t like people to notice me at the best of times, so when my toddler/child is creating and drawing attention, I just want to crawl in a cave and hide. We were finally served by the member of staff and my son actually stopped creating and behaved as good as gold until we left the shop, which was a relief. When we got out of the shop, however, the biggest meltdown of all began. We needed to return home, so I steered him back the way we came. Out of nowhere he began trying to turn the scooter around and he became distraught and suddenly started crying.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. It’s possible that walking back the way we came is not acceptable to him. Or perhaps he thought we were going somewhere else, or that maybe he just didn’t want to go home so soon. But unfortunately, this time, I needed to get us home again pretty quick to put a chicken in the oven for dinner.
I suppose in hindsight it wasn’t the best time to let him ride the scooter for the first time, but at the same time, he needed an opportunity to have a go on it.
From there and most of the way home, he refused to walk or ride the scooter. In utter refusal to turn around, I scooped him up, picked up the scooter, and marched home with him protesting in my arms. He is getting quite heavy now for me to carry, so I kept trying to encourage him to either ride the scooter or stand on it so I could pull him home. He was having none of it.
What was a super exciting adventure, riding his new scooter, became yet another difficult journey home.
When we finally arrived at home, the mood unfortunately carried on and this is one of those times when I probably should have picked my battles.
My son was hungry again. At lunch time, he hadn’t really entertained the cheese wrap that he’d agreed to eat. After the fact, it occurred to me that it possibly wasn’t the right block of cheese that he liked. He can be quite particular with what he will and won’t eat, at the moment.
We finally settled on something for him to eat, but I wanted him to sit at the kitchen table, however, he was insistent that he was going to sit in the lounge and eat whilst watching Numberblocks. But of course, me being me, still feeling somewhat stressed from the walk home, I stuck to my guns and said no. I’d asked him to sit at the table and that he could watch Numberblocks after he’d finished his food. Well… at least 10 mins later, the meltdown was still in full swing. Tears streaming down his face. How dare I not let him eat his food whilst watching his favourite program. The big emotions were definitely out in the open.
I offered him hugs, tried to console him enough to find some calm, but realised I’d made my bed, so I had to just carry on with the no TV rule. I mean, if it’s a snack, I’m usually not too bothered by TV. It’s meal times where I draw the line. But I guess, to him, his food was merely a snack. Although he’d rejected it, in his eyes he’d eaten his lunch.
He calmed enough for me to begin washing up before dinner prep and he began to play with a toy. It was only a short while later, I realised he’d edged nearer to his food, which he had abandoned in a bowl on the chair. I slowly took a step closer to see if he was finally eating and to my delight he was actually sat on the chair in the living room, munching away on his food; the TV was long forgotten.
Shortly after I thought he had finished his food. I went in to act as I had promised, to put Numberblocks on the TV for him, when he had finished eating, only to realise he still had a few bites left. I braced myself as I slowly lowered the remote (or “clicker” as it is now called in our house. Thanks Nanny lol!) praying that the meltdown wouldn’t resume and do you know what… the little star sat there munched away happily on his last few bites. He then bounded into the kitchen, placed his bowl in the sink as requested with another little “Okay, mummy” and returned to have his hands wiped.
He was happy once again, sitting comfortably watching Numberblocks, like it had never happened.
Reflections
I think, often, we don’t realise just how strong our resilience is when it comes to riding the wave of emotions from our little ones. At the time, our shoulders tense, the stress levels rise and if you’re anything like me, I find it hard to shake that feeling off when the moment has passed.
Our toddlers and children are amazing examples that in order to heal an emotion, we have to feel an emotion. ( I heard that quote somewhere, but me being me, I’ve completely forgotten where. Probably on one of the many podcasts I listen to.) He was upset with me; I made him go the wrong way after the post office and then I wouldn’t let him watch his favourite TV program. He’s two and a half years old; in his world that was a huge deal and after hugging it out, allowing him to feel and get through the emotions, we reached a peaceful end.
I don’t always react the right way. I know I can be a tad hot headed and stubborn, so when I say something, like impose a rule, I tend to stick to my guns and will not be swayed, no matter the paddy. I did, however, manage to show him that mummy meant what she had said so when he finished his food he was then able to watch his favourite program.
Another thing I try to keep in mind, is that despite how hard it is to parent my strong willed child, I know that what is difficult now will make a brilliant quality for my child, later in life.
So to sum up, when life with a toddler or child(or even on occasion the adults) have big emotions, just remember the little wins. That even if you don’t see it now, one day you’ll hopefully look back and think, wow that did make a difference.
The Ruminating Mum 