How To Turn a Hard Parenting Day Around With 3 Words... "Mommy, My Love"
I woke this morning to three little boys, lined up according to age like the Von Trapp children, quietly smiling at me by the side of my bed. My middle son, the 6 yr old, leaned over and with his voice as sweet as honey he whispered, “Mommy my love, may we please have some vitamins?”
I joke not. That happened.
You see, a while back, I was having a really hard mom day. The moodiness, whining and declarations of near-death boredom, had gotten to the point of stereotypical stay at home mom advertisement level. You know the ads I’m talking about. She’s looking miserable in a bathrobe, (likely not because she had a bath), with cup of coffee in hand, and surrounded by children and complete chaos. The accuracy of that was a little to… well, accurate. (Minus the coffee, because I don’t coffee.)
And that’s when it hit me. I looked at my little boys and said, “if you have a request, start it with ‘Mommy my love’”. They stared blankly at me so I repeated, “say Mommy my love first and see what happens.” So my oldest grumpily said, “Mommy my love, I want more to eat.”
I sprang into action. I put on the biggest display of over the top sweetness and appreciation for being asked so nicely. I smothered him with hugs and kisses, lifted him up and twirled him around. Then I kissed the other two, and declared that thanks to Wesley everyone was getting the best snack of their life!!!
For the rest of the day, I asked them to start requests with “Mommy my love”. Every time they did, I put on a big show.
Them: “Mommy my love, can I please have some water?”
Me: “OF COURSE YOU CAN HAVE SOME WATER!!! I’ll get you a tall glass of your favourite water WITH an ice cube!”
Them: “Mommy my love, I can’t find socks to wear.”
Me: “Well then, I’m going to find you TWO pairs to wear!” (Yes, I put two pairs on while they giggled.)
It has become a joke in our house. They will try to ask me as sweetly as possible and watch for the response. Obviously, we don’t do it all the time, but on those hard days when I need to change the dynamic in our home, it works like a charm.
And when they do it voluntarily, like this morning, it’s beyond everything. I’ve already won the day.
Give it a try.
I joke not. That happened.
You see, a while back, I was having a really hard mom day. The moodiness, whining and declarations of near-death boredom, had gotten to the point of stereotypical stay at home mom advertisement level. You know the ads I’m talking about. She’s looking miserable in a bathrobe, (likely not because she had a bath), with cup of coffee in hand, and surrounded by children and complete chaos. The accuracy of that was a little to… well, accurate. (Minus the coffee, because I don’t coffee.)
And that’s when it hit me. I looked at my little boys and said, “if you have a request, start it with ‘Mommy my love’”. They stared blankly at me so I repeated, “say Mommy my love first and see what happens.” So my oldest grumpily said, “Mommy my love, I want more to eat.”
I sprang into action. I put on the biggest display of over the top sweetness and appreciation for being asked so nicely. I smothered him with hugs and kisses, lifted him up and twirled him around. Then I kissed the other two, and declared that thanks to Wesley everyone was getting the best snack of their life!!!
For the rest of the day, I asked them to start requests with “Mommy my love”. Every time they did, I put on a big show.
Them: “Mommy my love, can I please have some water?”
Me: “OF COURSE YOU CAN HAVE SOME WATER!!! I’ll get you a tall glass of your favourite water WITH an ice cube!”
Them: “Mommy my love, I can’t find socks to wear.”
Me: “Well then, I’m going to find you TWO pairs to wear!” (Yes, I put two pairs on while they giggled.)
It has become a joke in our house. They will try to ask me as sweetly as possible and watch for the response. Obviously, we don’t do it all the time, but on those hard days when I need to change the dynamic in our home, it works like a charm.
And when they do it voluntarily, like this morning, it’s beyond everything. I’ve already won the day.
Give it a try.