Parenthood is an amazing, funny, and sometimes frustrating journey. I’m five years in and still know there are so many wonderful and challenging things ahead of us. I’ve also found that in this stage of parenthood, Daniel Tiger has been invaluable not only for my daughter but for me as well. I think we sometimes forget that we need to follow some of his advice and put things into perspective.
There are two particular songs that I think can really resonate with parents:
…When you feel so mad
That you want to roar
Take a deep breath
And count to four…
and
…When you’re trying to do something
And it just won’t work for you
You’re stuck and get frustrated
Here’s what you gotta do
Take a step back and ask for help…
These are important lessons to keep in mind when we find ourselves in those moments of frustration or anger. When you find yourself there (I’m sure some of us end up there more than we’d like), try to take a step back and look for the positive. It can be so easy to get caught up in the negative. It’s not only great to take a breath but also put things into perspective.
It may be a big deal for you in the moment, but overall, is it really a big deal? Some of us deal with big deals like health issues, which are incredibly frustrating, or little problems like spills or rubbing diaper cream all over the room. Once these moments happen, you can’t go back and change them; you can only move forward and learn from them.
I cannot go back and change the time I spent with my son, though I wish I had spent more time focusing on the positive moments and letting go of the frustration and anger of “Why me? Why him? Why us?” while he was here.
Now, when I have these moments with my daughters, I let them be just that. I also don’t want these negative moments to be memories because I want happy memories, and I want them to have happy memories too. The time with my children already feels like it’s going too fast. I don’t have time to waste with them by being upset.
Beautifully said, Caroline!