12/05/2024
What's a parenting hack that came to you naturally?
I'll go first.
I used to battle with my youngest, during his bedtime routine. I often matched his defiant energy, which never resulted in an easy path to success. So one day, purely out of my complete exhaustion, I decided to remain quiet, and simply extend my hand to him with the intent that he would grab it and we would calmly go to the bathroom together. After only standing there for no more than 2 minutes, he gave me a smirk, grabbed my hand, and we walked together to the bathroom. What's crazy about that outcome is the fact that those 2 minutes actually accelerated the bedtime routine compared to the chaotic attempts before.
By standing there quietly, I realized that my 2 minutes seemed like an eternity to him, not only that, but I could see that he was unable to focus on what he was doing because of my hand being extended. Who knew that a little patience can go a long way lol.
The other side of those 2 minutes was equally important for me. With adult ADHD, emotional regulation can be a challenge (adding some context to my initial strategies lol), but those 2 minutes also allowed me to do some breathing exercises that helped me take in some perspective, and soak in that self-awareness.
I'm not going to sit here and say it works every day, but it has had a great impact on both of us!