Parenting is a beautiful experience that sometimes brings out the worst in you. Post partum blues turn congratulatory wishes of relatives into cacophony, your little bundle of joy feels heavy in the middle of the night. Reckless nights, tiresome days continue month after month. When your baby turns into a toddler you start feeling life is going to be normal again but troublesome twos knock on your door making you realize that the normal has changed forever. For you to maintain sanity life priorities need to change. Endless partying, social hopping and even quite long drives need to be out of the priority list.
You need to figure out the best possible combination of the new normal. Give a look at those little feet and hands, and enjoy the swell that comes up your throat. Thank God for the blessing and enjoy the peace that comes with it. Look inside yourself and brace up to make it all work for yourself and your bundle of jumping joy.
Logical thought process, strategic planning, efficient use of resources are tools that make you a successful corporate employee. Just use those assets for managing this cute little LIVE WIRE project at home as well. Some pointers to consider
1.Schedule, Schedule Schedule
Planning and schedule is the key to managing a young toddler. Make a schedule for everything that your child is expected to do throughout the day. Right from the time he/she gets up till the time he/she goes to bed. Stick at a prominent place at home for all family members to know.
More than formulating the schedule it is important that you follow it each day. While rushing through the day you would be at ease knowing all that you are required to do with the baby. You would have arranged for learning material and toys in advance instead of stressing at the last moment. You get enough headway to plan your office work around this schedule.
The most important aspect you would notice is that your child would slowly be less stubborn and aggressive in view of expected behavior and outcome. Young children thrive on daily schedule. If they know what is coming next they feel secure and are more emotionally settled. So, next time your little one comes running to you and says “mamma I am bored” You have an answer ready and there are fewer arguments!
2. Delegation for sanity
Schedules should be formulated on the basis of resources available at home aka daddy, grandparents, maid. It is not your whole responsibility to manage your little one. Be a manager and not a worker. Delegate as much possible. Keep strategic activities for yourself like making him/her sleep at night, reading a book now and then, having a round of conversation with the little one. Keep a eye on everything but delegate as much possible.
While delegating there are two main issues that mommy managers face, trust and guilt. They do not trust others with the comfort and care of the child. They suffer from working mommy guilt of not doing it all for the baby. May I need to reiterate here that the best outcome happens when the entire team (mom + Dad+maid + grandparents) works with full trust and commitment and an efficient manager knows how to build that. So get going and fix yourself a team that is committed to keeping your little one healthy and happy.
3. Set realistic expectations
Set realistic expectations from your own self. You might want to do it all for the little one but is it possible realistically?
You might want your little one to have only healthy food and sleep on time every day but once a while things would go haywire. Return back to the drawing board, rework on schedule and get going the next day.
If your child does not attend online school classes and you have no time to sit along during the session, don’t blame yourself. Talk to the teacher for a solution. They have a lot of solutions up their sleeves. Otherwise cover-up for learning in the evening time.
Remember there is a solution to every problem and every situation has learning. Parenting is all about learning, changing, and moving ahead.
4. Choose to enjoy and be happy
Give your child something that he needs the most – happy, smiling parents. Children thrive on happy and excited energy around them. They can smell the tension in the air. Whatever it takes to ease your self, get that smile back on your face. A job that you held dear, salary cuts that you might have faced do not value as much as a smile on the face of your family.
Good mangers make effective choices, choose to be happy!
