Staying Positive as a Mom

One of my favorite books for kids is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. It's wonderful.

If you've never read it, here's a video of someone reading it aloud with the illustrations.


The thing I love most about this book is that even when the mother is exhausted, and "living in a zoo," she still takes the time to love her child.
I think this is hard to do sometimes. As a mom of two young children, there are days where I am stretched thin. My girls are very energetic and independent, and sometimes this makes me very tired. There are days where I can relate to the mother in the story, living in a zoo!
But I think it's very important to not let myself get frustrated and angry when my kids are just being kids.


There are several things I do to stay positive:

1. Never berate my kids, in public or to their face- I try really hard to never tell my kids that they're making me crazy. I want them to know that I love them, and I think they're good and smart and wonderful. The last thing I want is to say something in anger that will stay with them. Along with that, I try to never say anything bad about my kids in public, which includes social media. If I go onto Facebook, and post about how my kids are nuts, it makes it true. When in reality, my kids are normal, and I am tired and have a bad attitude.

2. Reset Button- When we are having a hard day, I like to do a reset. I ran across something a while ago with ideas. Usually, I stop what we're doing, and we go play outside for 10 minutes, or color a picture together, something like that. It really helps!

3. Put my phone away- A lot of the time, when my kids are being really rambunctious, it's because they are trying to get my attention. If I turn off the TV, put my phone away, and actually engage with them, we have fun!

4. Think of my blessings- I have a really great life! Sometimes, when I am tired and frazzled, it helps to stop and think of the things that are going right! Everything from the blessings of my family and home, to the fact that my lunch was really tasty. Actually, a lot of times, I post these lists on this blog, called Things I'm Lovin Today.

5. Find the good in the activity- One of my kids favorite games is something that seems destructive. They like taking all the cans of food out of the pantry and stacking them throughout the house. It's easy to look at the situation from my perspective: This is such a mess! What I try to do is look at it from theirs. They are learning spacial skills, playing together happily, having fun, and they are "building a Temple," they tell me. What sweet good girls! When I look for the good in what they're doing, it's no longer a mess.


At the end of the day, when I have taken the time to really love my children, it is really easy to forget all about the sticky walls, piled up laundry, and the fact that I haven't gotten out of my PJs all day. In taking the time, I have allowed myself to look at them with heavenly eyes. They are beautiful gifts from my Father in Heaven and I am so blessed to be their mother.