How to Keep Your Sanity When Raising a Child

There is nothing a mother loves more than her child, except perhaps watching that beautiful angel sleep after a long, crazy day of disorderly conduct. They say it’s even crazier when you have more than one child, but sometimes it’s easier because they have someone else to argue with besides you! If you are at your wit’s end trying to manage all the household duties while keeping your child out of mischief, and perhaps even pulling a full-time job in your ‘spare time,’ take a little advice from mothers around the world. Here is some of what they do to maintain some semblance of sanity.

Prioritize

Listen, the fact is that some things are just more important than others. If it isn’t a safety or health issue, it can wait in line until after lunch or dinner. And if you are too tired, it can wait until morning. A few toys around the house aren’t going to end the world as we know it, so unless they are in the middle of a walkway, tomorrow is soon enough!

A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Sometimes you are just too tired and frustrated to even cry. Many moms say that having a great belly laugh is good for the soul. Check out funny quips on Examined Existence to put that smile back on your face. Did you know that laughter is even restorative? There have been many scientific studies on how laughter led to cures doctors couldn’t understand. If you can’t fix it, a good laugh might help you forget your troubles, if only for a time.

Take a Break – You Deserve It

Sometimes mom and dad take turns having an evening off. Dad relieves mom so that she can get some ‘me time,’ and mom lets ’s dad have his night out with the guys. However, single-parent households don’t have that luxury. Do you have a friend or family member you could trade babysitting days with? If not, make sure you do nothing whatsoever when the kids are down for a nap or in bed for the night. Yes, you are tempted to catch up on all those little tasks that somehow got set aside, but your health and sanity are much more important. Take a break for goodness sake!

Structure Is the Key to Sanity

While child psychologists will tell you that structure is of vital importance in a child’s life, it is equally important in yours. Regularly scheduled meals, bath times, bedtimes, play times and other ways you structure and organize your lives make a real difference. Not only will kids feel safe and secure within set boundaries, so too will you know what to expect and when. You can schedule your day more effectively around those times you know you will be busy ‘working’ with the kids. Believe it or not, a structured environment is typically a safe and peaceful environment.

Don’t go overboard with structure, though. You aren’t a drill sergeant in the army. Stick close enough to your schedule for comfort, don’t worry about the little things, get a good dose of laughter each day, and by all means, take time out for you. Beyond deserving it, you need it. Your kids will appreciate the calmer, funnier mom, so give it a try. It can’t hurt!