Skip to main content

What I Really Learned From Pinterest


Yes, I use Pinterest to pin clothing that I won't buy, pin kids activities for rainy days and even ooh and ahh over master bathrooms, I do have a board for things that inspire me. Mostly, these are quotes that I try to remember and while I don't recite quotes or put them up on walls in my house, I do think about them: who said them, why? Does it relate to me? While, today,  I was wasting time on Pinterest I came across a quote that really slugged me in the face, harder than the head bonk my youngest gives me all day long.  “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today”. I wish I knew who wrote it, that person changed my attitude and made me a better mom.

Have you ever had a day where you look at the clock and maybe five minutes has gone by? Well, I’ve been having that week. We recently came back from a house-hunting trip where we got to see my husband! It had been a month since we got to be a family so it was absolutely a happy reunion. But, when we returned to our separate lives in different states, my boys had a huge negative reaction. They have been acting out, ignoring me, hitting, pushing, kicking, not eating, not going potty, not sleeping, you name it: they’re doing it. It’s been DRIVING ME INSANE.

Have you ever had a day where you feel like you just say, “no” louder and louder and LOUDER until you realize you’re really yelling at your kids and they just look at you and don’t know what to do? Or have you ever needed to lock yourself in your room because you couldn’t take the backlash any longer? Have you wished that it was bedtime at 4 ‘o clock in the afternoon because honestly, none of you are going to have a pleasant evening? Throw in a few tears and you’re looking at me.
I can’t believe how hard parenting actually is. Where’s the parenting App?!

While I was listening to my boys from the hallway, screaming and crying and fighting bedtime, I pulled out my phone and went to Pinterest. Right there on the top of the 'Following' board, that quote was the first thing my eyes were drawn to.  It was then that I realized that I had to change my attitude if I wanted my boys to be better. I had to get rest. I had to come up with positive ways to scold or correct, I had to give more praise, I had to exercise patience. I couldn’t let the previous day ruin the next one and expect it to get any better if I still held a grudge and let my frustration show. While the boys were utilizing their independence skills (Dang! Why'd I teach them that?!) and learning how to assert their opinions (REALLY ABBEY? You had to teach them how to use words correctly and how to address their feelings didn't you?), it turns out, I was the one getting annoyed and frustrated and in turn, having an attitude with them because I hadn't had a 30 minute break to myself in who knows how long. 

Once I decided to be better, my kids were better. Sure, they still fought with one another, that’s just what brothers do, but our family aura was better. I was able to be the mom I wanted to be and that made my boys be the boys I wanted them to be. It was hard work on my part, but I was really proud of the results. It didn't take too much effort to sit back and think: OK. They need to get their energy out. I know you're tired, but get your walking shoes on and go outside. Run with them. Be carefree. Let them get muddy, you're already doing laundry. Have a little fun with them, Abbey and the day will change. 

My kids are still kids and I still have trouble with our oldest coming into my bed every night and he won’t poop on the potty and feels no shame or remorse for using his underwear instead of the toilet. And he flat out ignores me if I ask him to do something that interferes with his playing.  And yes, the youngest still throws everything he can get his fingers on and gets extremely upset and throws the world’s largest tantrum, but I’m able to combat those in a much better light when I really concentrate on what their needs are and why they are doing those things.

Sometimes you just have to take a step back, take a breath, get twenty minutes to yourself, keep your pecker up (as my grandma would always say) and don’t live in the past. Move forward. It’s the only way to be better. 

Popular posts from this blog

The Life of a Military Kid- The PCS

Just when you think military kids are resilient, something comes their way and they are once again put to the test, up to the challenge without a choice, that society and yes, even military parents, put on them. They go from being comfortable and confident in who they are and where they belong, to feeling lost, afraid and confused. And while being resilient is the thing they are called most, most of them are like a duck in water, like most of their parents, playing it cool on the surface, but scrambling to find ground to stand on. This year, our military kids are being put to the test once again, and during the Month of the Military Child too. They are going through a PCS or a Permanent Change of Station, and, in our experience, a PCS doesn't mean moving from door to door, it means a month of change, driving and living out of a suitcase. We are open with our kids, they knew when we knew that we were going to move. They knew that it was still far off. They knew that we had to pi...
Read more

Tales From The Crib

I was challenged to write a blog about my "Tales From The Crib" by the folks at Dropcam To learn more about camera and their competition for the best stories from the crib contact Tiffany at:  tpham@dropcam.com Several months ago I wrote this blog about our family and our sleep schedule. It was a hard time for our family: we were in transit from living as a family of four to moving in with my parents for a few months while my husband was away. Now that we're back as a family of four, we've had to figure out how to become a family again, and how to make schedules work, how to include dad in our lives again, and how to transition two children (not in cribs) into a new room with new beds in a new place. It wasn't easy. Right off the bat my husband took over bedtime, honestly, it was a huge relief. I had been tired of putting these kids to bed night, after night, after night. By the end of the day I was just exhausted, and to have a bedtime fight or strugg...
Read more

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Henrik, Theodor, and Elinor, When you wake, it will be Mother's Day. Despite your best efforts to let me sleep in and to shower me with the most beautiful glitter creation in all the land, this day isn't really about me. I've wanted, and waited, for this day to be about me for 7 years. And, to be honest, I've dreamt about a night away from you all to celebrate in solitude, in front of trashy TV, a bottle of wine, and some chocolate while cheering my self on because you're all still alive. But this year, after seeing the lack of build up and prep, I've finally figured it out. It's never about me... it probably won't ever be about me. I 've longed for a day where I could sleep in past 6 AM. I've hoped for a day with no fighting, a trip to the grocery store or even the bathroom by myself, mimosas all day, massages or even a mani/pedi, and, most importantly nothing to pick up or clean, no laundry to put away, and a day without saying, ...
Read more