Ahhh, toddlers! There really is no comparison to the challenge, joy, and growth they will bring to your parenting experience. Honestly, I think they’ve gotten a bad rap during this stage of their development. As “difficult” as this stage is proclaimed to be, I have welcomed it into my life. (Because what’s the alternative?)
Just as with anything new, that I’ve never experienced before, I was a bit thrown back by the “toddler things” my daughter started doing. It started off small with me thinking, I’ve got this! If I was able to get through the newborn phase of not sleeping, I can get through a tantrum or two. As I got better at handling certain situations, new, more challenging ones arose.
Little by little my self confidence in my parenting skills were being tested. I started thinking things like, “this is so hard, I don’t think I have the patience for this, what am I doing wrong?” As you can tell, not the most empowering thoughts. My brain was having a field day finding all of the things I was doing “wrong.” The more I thought about my experience in this way, the more it chipped away at my confidence of being a phenomenal parent.
It was not until I came to the realization that I was creating this for myself. This situation I was in was because of the thoughts I was thinking, NOT the facts of what was actually happening. My toddler was not behaving any different than she should be for a little human her age. I was the one who would require a change in order to create a new outcome.
So I allowed her to be and behave as a toddler should. (Pretty simple so far) The true challenge was and still remains to be MY behavior. I needed to equip myself with tools on how to handle things we encounter on a regular basis. This is where my coaching tools have really come in handy. Knowing that just like my thought work has helped me, this is an ongoing process. It’s not a one and done type of process. We wouldn’t go to the gym once, lift weights, and expect the results to last. It is something we must continue to work at, in order to truly see the change happen.
I am inviting you to look into this further, if you find yourself having a hard time in your life, with your child, or family. I can help get you out of that, just like I was able to make my mental health a priority. You deserve to live a life you love!
