Have you seen this video yet?
This entertaining video gone viral by Story of This Life is generating a lot of conversation – over 3 million views on YouTube as of this writing! Many Moms out there LOL when they watch this video, recognizing the can’t-get-anything-done scenario and laughing at their own frustration. There’s no doubt that this is a cute little toddler! Some folks are posting their own pictures of that triumphant toddler who has taken over Mom’s home domain with making such a mess; others comment that Moms need to come up with some other solutions than letting the toddler run the show, by putting the kid in a playpen or simply tell the kid to stop or say NO to them.
While watching this video, I too related to the feelings of frustration and annoyance at that terrorizing toddler who just seems to mess everything up! Of course, all parents have had days like this. Children seem to run the clock, take over the home, and want to have anything that Mom and or Dad have their hands in. Oh my, the nature of childrearing!
At the same time, I was also a bit sad to think that there are Moms and Dads who feel that their child is preventing them from getting anything done. Doesn’t that make them feel kind of negative about themselves, their child, their home? I have to imagine that after the laughter comes a lot more frustration, stress, and anger.
But you know what? It doesn’t have to be this way. As we say in our tag line, things CAN be different!
How?
The first step is to change your mindset. You can see in this video that Mom actually did get quite a lot done! Clean clothes were bought, worn, and washed! Meanwhile, her child got to play with great toys in a nice, comfortable, child-friendly home. They ate on clean dishes and the dishwasher (a luxury appliance!) got loaded. The toddler got to play happily and freely outside in the dirt (hooray!) and was lovingly cared for in a warm bath. Mom gave her yogurt with a spoon and bowl to teach her how to eat, and then gave her another warm bath to clean up. That’s no empty day! Taking care of your home and family are significant accomplishments.
Next, pick up some home management tips and tools to balance the chores with taking care of family members in a more productive way. A key tip is to engage your child to help put away the laundry instead of trying to do it on your own with your back turned to him/her! Children love to do what their parents are doing; if you make it fun (sing a laundry song!), all the better.
On a higher level, it’s also important to set goals for yourself beyond just getting the dishes done today. People feel successful when they accomplish their goals. You are a unique person and your goals are too. Take time to think about what you want in life so you can make it happen. Moms can be successful in getting things done!
Instead of being cynical and laughing off this video in a LOL post, you can make changes happen so that the story of your life can be written by you to create a happy story line.