Mama Reset Button

If you have been around these parts for long then you know my sweet child Jack can be more than a little wild. There are many times where he drives me to my breaking point.

Do you ever lose your cool and react in an unfavorable way? Those times are when I really get frustrated with myself. I have to remind myself to pull it together and hit the reset button.

Jack having fun with my $65 face cream.

Jack dumped a whole bag of goldfish crackers in my bed. While he was sitting in timeout and I was cleaning up the mess he pooped in the floor and I didn't see it and stepped in it.

These are just two recent examples where I needed to hit the reset button.

Here are a few ways I hit the reset button.

1// Walk away. This is not always an easy one because when Jack is in his wild mood he gets extra clingy. It is like he wants to roll all over me and whine. If I'm able to walk away, I do.

2// Say a quick prayer. Lord please give me the peace and love to deal with this child.

3// Break out the rare toys like play-doh, ipad, or put on their favorite show. Use this time to take a quick mama break. I like to quickly write in my journal and write down my frustrations.

4// Eat something indulgent like one of those brownies I made last night.

5// Put Jack in the car, roll down the windows, and turn up the music. We have had to do this a few times this summer. We head to Sonic and get a slush and when we get back home the tension is over.

6// Say "poof, it's over"  while throwing up my hands. It signals to Jack and myself that we need to leave this particular incident alone and move on. I learned this from a fellow teacher when two of her students would have an issue or if a child was upset because they got in trouble.

What are some ways that you hit the reset button?