I went back to full-time work after a four-year sabbatical and, while it was exciting, I missed spending time at home with my son. I started second-guessing myself and wondering if I had made the right decision.
Eventually, I settled into work and found my balance. I wrote this down in my journal a few months ago and forgot all about it until I read it the other day. It resonated with me and I wanted to share it with you.
If you ever find yourself struggling with similar feelings, I hope this helps you get through it:
***
Struggle is inevitable.
The next time it happens, draw confidence from your past experience. You struggled, doubted yourself, yet you overcame these obstacles and came out stronger and wiser.
Maybe self-doubt is a feeling you need to sit with.
You can listen to it speak, understand where it’s coming from, then respectfully disagree with it.
You may feel a lack of confidence, but you can choose to believe something else: That despite how it feels right now, you have proven time and again that you are capable of much more than you give yourself credit for.
Maybe these low moments are necessary for growth. They encourage self-reflection and prevent you from the bigger mistakes that can come from over-confidence.
Accept that this feeling will visit once in a while. Welcome it and learn from it, but remember that it is temporary.
Find the lesson, so you can let it go.
You are not your worst enemy, but your best challenger. You challenge yourself to keep struggling and growing. And look how far you’ve come because of it.
Believe in yourself.
If this resonates with you, send me a note. I would love to hear from you.
My son has always had trouble letting go of things. Not just toys- he gets sad when we throw out random stuff like dilapidated puzzle mats, or a plastic screw that fell down the toilet. 😅 I think he’s attached to the memories. So I validate the feelings, but tell him it’s not healthy to get too attached to material things. People, relationships, and memories are what matter most.
Yesterday, I sorted out a lot of his old toys for donation and was bracing myself for big feelings. I prepped him and gave my reasons: 1. The attic needs to be cleared because the ceiling might crash down (lol) 2. He never plays with these toys 3. The kids who receive them will be so happy.
I told him I could easily give away the toys and he wouldn’t even notice. But I promised I wouldn’t do that, so I’m letting him know. He can check and choose 5 toys he wants to keep, so we did that.
After, he still felt sad and was whining about it, which is triggering for me. But I’m glad I stepped back and saw it from his perspective:
“It’s hard to let go of toys, huh? I understand. It’s hard for me too sometimes. But we can do hard things. Sometimes we need to do it even if we don’t want to. The families we give these toys too will be so happy and grateful. So thank you- I’m so proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself too.” He let a few tears out and was ok after that. ❤️
Have you had similar moments? How did you handle it?
*We write books about big feelings and occasionally share snippets of our life through blog posts. My son is 7 now, and I ask him if it’s okay for me to share these moments online. Thankfully he always says yes. ☺️ We hope our experiences can help you as well in your parenting journey. We love hearing from our readers. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Threads @kimt.s.books 🥰
I stopped blogging for a while, because I was afraid that maybe I was sharing too much. Most people share only the best parts of their lives online, and here I was talking about Kyle’s most vulnerable ones. I felt guilty, thinking that maybe I was making Kyle seem like a difficult, angry child. In truth, he’s one of the sweetest boys in the world. He’s thoughtful, smart, funny, and kind. I just wanted to share our struggles in hopes that it could help others who are going through the same thing.
As parents, we all have our own opinions about the best way to raise kids. We tend to judge from our own lens, when we should remember that each situation is different. I’m guilty of this, too, and am trying to be more intentional about it. I know I open myself (and Kyle) up to judgement whenever I share snippets of our life. But I choose to continue, because I feel that sharing our experiences can help others. We learn from each other, and that’s how we grow. One thing I’ve learned is not to place too much weight on what other people think. What matters most is what we and the people we love the most think. But it’s good to listen, because there’s always lots we can improve on!
Overcoming Anger
I’ve shared many stories about Kyle’s anger. It’s our main struggle, and it’s why I started writing books about big feelings. The emotions rise and fall, but I’m so proud of how far we’ve come!
A few weeks ago, I was asking Kyle to do something he didn’t want to. He started getting riled up, and it was clear his anger was about to get out of control. His dad was chiming in, which I knew would rile him up even more.
Me: “Take deep breaths, Kyle. I know you’re upset, but don’t let anger control you. Find a way to calm down.”
Kyle: “I can’t control it!!! It’s too strong!”
Me: “You’re stronger than your anger, remember? We learned all the ways to calm down. You know what to do.”
His dad was getting upset, because Kyle was shouting and growling at this point. Things were about to escalate.
“Mom! Help! Get me a pen and paper!”
So I did, and he started to write frantically:
Rules of My Anger: 1. If you try to make me calm down, my anger will stop me. 2. The longer we wait, the angrier I get. 3. I can’t write anymore.
Finding his own way
As he wrote, I could see the anger dissipate. He went through 3 pages before he finally calmed down.
More Rules: If I’m too angry then I will fall asleep. Step 1: Get the iPad. Step 2: Let me watch. Step 3: My brain will fly. Step 4: I don’t know.
1: Dad’s voice sometimes gets me more angry. 2: When someone talks to me, I get more angry. 3: Be more light on me. 4: Blow me using the Big Bad Wolf or Mr. Wolf. 5: Sing or play a song. 6: Punch beds. 7: Run crazy like Sonic. 8: Use pain (danger) X do not use it. 9: Annoy me a bit? (danger) X do not use it. 10: Draw. 11: Rip paper. 12: Kiss me. 13: Making me calm down makes it harder for me to calm down.
Wow.
I felt a sense of warmth and pride as I watched him put these thoughts and feelings onto paper. I was SO proud of him! He remembered all the things we talked about through the years. And he found his own new way to calm down. It seemed like a reassuring pat on the back. Like a voice was telling me- “You did good, momma.” All the hard work and patience paid off. Gentle parenting works. ❤️
What doesn’t work, though, is telling him to calm down and talking too much. Both of which I’m very guilty of. 😂 Noted, my son. I will keep these in mind.
I kept these precious pieces of paper safe. Maybe I’ll laminate them and bring them out the next time he gets angry. It’s been 2 months with no major episodes. Are we in the safe zone? Probably not, but I’m thankful for the journey, wherever it may take us next. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
The other day during online school, my 6-year-old was on the floor, refusing to do his seatwork yet again. My gentle prodding and requests weren’t working, and he was missing the activity.
I brought out my Momster voice: “DO IT,” then I started counting “3, 2, 1..” (which he hates). Full-on drama ensued.
“I WISH YOU WEREN’T MY MOM!!”
“I will always be your mom.”
“I HATE YOU!!”
“Even if you hate me, I will love you forever. I know you don’t want to do this, but you need to learn to sit down properly and do your work. Finish this first, and then we’ll talk about our feelings, okay?”
I gave him the pencil and notebook and he started writing, with tears in his eyes. He kept muttering “I HATE YOU,” while I kept replying “I love you,” until he finished.
“I’m proud of you for finishing your work. I know you didn’t want to do it, but you did what needs to be done. Thank you.”
“I’m still angry at you! I hate you!”
“It’s okay to feel angry. But it’s not okay to say hurtful things. I will love you no matter what you say or do. But you need to be careful with your words. It’s okay to tell me you’re angry at me or that you don’t like me. But hate is such a strong word and it hurts too much. I’m just shielding my heart, so think very hard before you say it again.”
“I’m angry at you and I don’t like you!”
“That’s okay. I’ll give you some time.”
We talked about other things to get his mind off it. When I managed to get a chuckle out of him, he would stop himself and frown again.
“I’m angry. I want to stay angry. I’m trying my best to stay angry!”
“It’s normal to feel angry. But staying angry for too long will hurt your heart and can make you weak. Anyone can be angry, but not everyone can overcome it. Learning to let go of your anger will make you stronger. We learned about different ways to let go of anger— now you need to try those things and find your way out.”
It took a while of back and forth, but he finally came around.
“Mom, I think I love you again.”
“I’m glad. But I never stopped loving you. I’m so proud of you for being stronger than your anger.”
“Me, too. I’m sorry for getting so angry and for saying those things.”
“It’s okay. Just don’t say them again.”
And then we hugged.
…
Thanks for reading! I have no idea if I’m doing the right thing. I’m far from perfect and definitely not an expert at this. Just a mom sharing her journey, hoping it can help some of you who might be having similar struggles.
What I do know is that a few months ago, I might have gotten angry and lashed out at my son, partly from the shame of seeming to have the only kid in class who keeps having tantrums. I’m trying to remember that how my child acts is not always a reflection of my parenting skills. It’s how I respond that matters.
All kids are different and will develop at their own pace. So we just try our best to be patient, trust our instincts, and adapt. There will always be people who disagree with how we parent. But just as every kid is different, so is every situation, family, and culture. We’re not perfect, but we try our best, and we keep learning and growing. Bad days will come and we may stumble, but we’ll keep moving forward. Because our little ones are counting on us! ❤️
How do you deal with kids nightmares?. A few months ago, Kyle woke up crying inconsolably. I tried my best to calm him down and assure him- it’s not real; it was just a dream. You’re safe here with me. I asked him what it was about, but he refused and said it was too scary. The next few days, he would tell me bits and pieces about it.
“There was a bad wizard, and an old man. And there were pins and needles.” I was curious to know more, but didn’t want to force him if he wasn’t ready. I suggested we stop watching and reading fairytales for awhile, and then forgot all about it.
Tonight, as I was putting him to sleep, he asked me if I remembered the scary dream that he had.
“The one with the wizard?“
“Yes. It was so scary…”
“Do you want to talk about it and try to make the wizard seem funny?”
“Okay! What if he was like Magic Koopa from Mario?”
“That would be so cute! And what if he liked to dance like the dancing Koopa?
We both started laughing, but then he turned serious again.
“There’s more that I didn’t tell you about, mom, because it’s too scary. There was also an old man who had his head stuck in a helmet. And there was a duck. And the wizard pinned some needles on the duck… like twelve needles. That’s why I called it pins and needles. And they were so big. And you know what? The duck died…”
“Oh no… That is such a sad dream. Can we try to change it a bit so it won’t be as scary?”
“Okay…”
“Well, what if the wizard was a good wizard? And the old man was good, but he was so hungry and he had nothing to eat. The duck was his friend, but the duck was very weak and was about to die soon. And the duck was in so much pain- he said, “please help me, I want to be at peace. You can eat me so that you can be strong again.”
The old man said- “but I do not want to hurt you, you are my friend.” But the duck said: “I am old, and I have lived a long and beautiful life. I am alone and my whole family is in heaven. I would like to be with them.”
So the good wizard said “I can help you. I have magic needles that can help stop the pain.” The needles were big, but they did not hurt. They stopped all of the pain, and the duck was smiling as he died in peace. Then his spirit went to heaven, where his whole family was waiting to embrace him.
The old man was sad, but he knew that the duck was happy. He needed to feed himself, so he prayed, then carefully cooked and ate the duck. He became stronger, and he was finally able to remove the helmet. Then he planted some carrots and vegetables to eat, and swore to take care of all the ducks and never eat them again. And all the ducks were so happy, especially the duck in heaven. Because he was with his family, and he was also able to help his friend become stronger.”
“That’s a nice story, mom.”
“Do you feel better now after talking about it?”
“Yes. Thanks, mommy.”
“Thank you for finally telling me about your dream. I hope you can tell me about it right away next time, so you won’t stay scared for long. Now it’s time to sleep.”
We hugged each other for a while. I thought he had fallen asleep, but then he suddenly put his head up.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Did you enjoy talking about my dream and making it a little bit nice?”
“Yes I did. Very much.”
“Me too.”
And he finally drifted off to sleep.
—-
💙
If you enjoyed this, I hope you can share it with someone who might need it.
