I need a babysitter...for myself
I live an hour away from civilization. I'm alone with my toddler almost all day every day. When I'm too tired to do anything besides grow another person, my toddler thinks that's the best time to push my buttons. I can't regulate my mood when I'm that tired, and I react too strongly to him. What am I supposed to do?
@easyScarf7950
I'm so sorry that you have no help or no distraction and dealing with a toddler and being pregnant 💙
You are doing a great job.
When you feel your mood dipping, it's important to find an activity to entertain your toddler while giving you that moment to just regulate as children are tiring but also children 💙
Thanks. Yeah, I need to be more aware of my mood and my energy level, and find something for my toddler to do. He likes to hit me when I try to rest on the couch. I think it's his way of saying that I'm supposed to be playing with him.
What do you do if your toddler hits you? My son hits me when he is tired, bored, and I'm not playing with him.
I’ve realized that as a mother, my reactions and what’s actually happening with my children can sometimes feel completely out of sync, and neither one changes the other in the moment. When that happens, I try to stay as calm and steady as I can—even if that means pausing before I speak.
Even during everyday tasks like cleaning, caring for them, or handling the chaos of the day, I try to do things quietly at times. That silence can help reset the energy in the room and in me.
I also pay attention to my pace—how fast I’m moving, how urgently I’m responding—and remind myself that time will pass either way. My focus is to stay as present as possible, so I can respond rather than react.
Thank you everyone. Now when I'm tired, I just get extremely sad. My friends have helped by paying for me to go into town with them. I wish I had more energy to play with my son. I feel bad about having the TV on all the time. I'm trying to just have things on that are boring to him so he can play.
Hello! I know exactly how you feel! I’m trying to do this whole gentle parenting thing but sometimes I want to pull my hair out! I do it for the most part but sometimes I do raise my voice and my daughter ends up crying then of course I instantly regret it. I started listening to this audiobook about managing your anger with your children. It gives real life relatable situations and tips and tricks and how to work on yourself when you’re feeling angry and irritated with your little one. I like it. It does explain that children will always remember how you made them feel when we were angry. They’ll for the most part always remember how we reacted when they did something, and that can go two ways. One, they will feel safe coming to you for things, two, they know how you’re going to react and will not go to you for anything that they fear will get you mad. All that really stuck with me! Sorry just going on a rant here lol you know inside you don’t mean to react soo strongly but you’re a person to, what you feel is valid. But since they are still learning about their own feelings, next time you can try closing your eyes and literally just breathe. Just pause for a couple seconds. You also have to know your triggers and when to do something about them before it escalates. I hope this somewhat helped!