There are many things that you can do to help you be a more patient parent. Most people wish they could learn ways to handle their children’s behavior without yelling or over-reacting. We all want to be loving parents and have our children respect us instead of fearing us. Several methods can be used to control anger and stop a melt down before it starts. You can use as many of these methods as you need to keep your cool and prevent doing or saying something you will regret.

The first two exercises go hand in hand. When you feel your anger start to boil over, count to ten slowly. This gives you time to calm down a bit and it will teach you to control your impulses. You can count in your head or out loud. The bonus to counting out loud is that your children will quickly learn that this means it is time to run. When you are done counting take three deep breaths before you speak. You will feel the tension melt away with each breath.

Always pretend like people are watching you when you have to deal with a problem with your kids. You are much less likely to over-react when you know others are looking on. Also, think of someone you know who is very patient and ask yourself what they would do in this situation.

You can also walk away and take a break. Taking a five to ten minute break will give you time to cool off and really plan what you are going to say and do. This is much better than acting in the moment. Take the opportunity to teach them something. Remember they are just kids and that they are not perfect. Use this opportunity to help them improve themselves.

When all else fails, laugh. Life does not always have to be so serious. There are times when a battle just is not worth fighting. This is the only time we will have with our kids and it should be as fun as we can make it, because we will never get another chance to relive these years. Keep that in mind when you are deciding how to handle a situation.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS