We have been moving house, and currently our place is flooded with boxes and furniture that is just scattered around the apartment. This inbetween situation has been really trying for the whole family… to say the least!
In this disorganised environment I’ve found myself increasingly saying “No” to my children “No, don’t do that” “be careful!” “Don’t touch that” “that’s not a toy!…”
I realised yesterday how this situation has been putting a lot of extra strain on my relationship with them, especially my 4,5 y old Daughter who seems to be in the middle of my shooting line a lot these days… when I’m feeling overwhelmed I always need to be careful to not begin holding her up to unreasonable standards.
Constantly saying “no”, “don’t”, “stop it”, “be careful!” creates frustration and tension, stress and disconnect!
So I decided to make it a priority to get out of the house with the kids as much as I could to a “neutral zone”, a Yes space, the garden or a good playground, somewhere where they could be themselves without hearing “no”, somewhere I could sit back and enjoy them without worry or stress. So that’s my plan now, that’s how I will be reconnecting and filling their (and my own) cup in the midsts of this crazy time… and my household is working better already.
