The scenario:

Your three year old has been naughty the whole morning, refusing to eat his breakfast and spilling his food on the kitchen floor creating yet another mess apart from the strewn toys in the living room. On top of that, the baby is fussy and you finally manage to settle him down around noon time for his afternoon nap. However, your three year old has been getting worse and refuses to take a short nap like his little brother. Feeling tired and cranky, you scream back at him after he screamed at you for refusing to give into his demands.

Does this situation sound familiar to you? Experts say losing patience can happen to anyone and recognizing that you have a short fuse is the first step in taking control. The truth is that it is not your child’s fault that you lost your patience and temper. It is your problem for losing control.

It is your responsibility for setting and enforcing limits on your child’s behavior and taking action. You have to determine beforehand, before things get out of control, what to do in specific situations. You must be consistent or else your child will take advantage of you.

In addition, have reasonable expectations from your child. If not, you will only frustrate yourself each time you wait for him to comply to your rules. You cannot change your child’s temperament but you can always change how you view the situation and the way you handle it.

It is perfectly normal for parents to lose their cool once in awhile. Parents are only human and not 100 percent perfect. It is okay to make mistakes and apologize for it later.

photo credit: Kıvanç Niş