The Do’s and Don’ts of Motherhood

It’s Mother’s Day and if you’re hoping for a day of alone time but end up cooking your own dinner, count on poppi to bring a smile to your face. Motherhood is hard and great and we often wish there was just one manual to tell us what to do in tricky situations. Here’s our list on what to do, and not do, in your journey of parenting. 

The Do’s:

Play Together:

Make playtime something that you can enjoy with them. I cannot build Lego™ creations to save my life and my creativity is lacking with my Magna-Tiles™ towers but I can play games with them all day long. Own the things you’re good at and forget about the things that you aren’t so good at.

Use Reverse Psychology

We’ve all been there…kid crying in a grocery store, toddlers refusing to take a nap, and teenagers giving us all sorts of attitude.  Every kid just wants a sense of independence. Start with telling them how much you love it when they don’t sleep and get super tired. The Mom of one of our cofounder’s would use this technique frequently. Her kids would come talk to her about something that was too hard and she would simply state. “You’re right. That must be hard. Why don’t you just quit.” They always did the opposite just to prove her wrong. The key is using a neutral voice so they don’t catch on.

Laugh at all the Funny things they do

Kids are funny. They spell words hilariously wrong, draw all sorts of interesting pictures, find sneaky ways to do things, and come up with some pretty crazy dance moves. Laughing with our kids, and maybe sometimes at them (in secret of course), helps everything seem a little easier. Also, it’s best to laugh at all aspects of motherhood. Click the links for some extra laughs today.

Tell Them You Love Them

It’s a simple and impactful thing to do for our kids. Try taking Collin Kartchner’s challenge by giving each kid an 8 second hug everyday. He interviewed Dr. Christy Kane, a clinical mental health counselor, and she promised an increase in oxytocin and happiness levels. Good for the kids, good for us.

Rely on Incentives:

If it wasn’t for incentives I am not sure my son would ever empty the dishwasher. He’s literally taken 2 hours to empty the dishwasher before. Promising 5 minutes on the Wii and it was done in 10 minutes. Find what they enjoy and use it to help get stuff done.  

The Don’ts:

Let them Pull Pranks on you

You pull pranks on them first. Everyone gets to laugh that way because when my kid is jumping out of a corner to scare me; I am not laughing.

Think they’ll take a Nap

If you currently have little ones, or you used to, it’s a fact that whenever you want your child to nap…they don’t. Just give yourself a pat on the back for at least trying and remember that they’re the bosses at the end of the day.

Trust Silence

How many times have we learned this the hard way? My daughter seems to have a fascination with scissors and every time it’s quiet we are surprised to see something else she’s cut. Some of her greatest offenses: her hair, Disney princess dresses, her sister’s socks, and some library books. You’d think we wouldn’t be so surprised anymore.

Expect them to do what you want

My mother’s favorite thing to tell me every time I call with some problem and am looking for advice: “Lower your expectations.” I used to think they were pretty low but each year of parenting has brought them even lower.

Overdo it

Don’t want to go all out for St. Patrick’s Day by making a rainbow out of fruit? Don’t. Don’t have time to move around that elf all month of December? Give it away to a friend. Spend time doing the things you want to do in motherhood. Occasions can be special just by spending time with your kids.

We hope you found some gems, and a few laughs today, as we celebrate mothers everywhere. It’s not an easy job but it has its rewarding moments. Happy Mother’s Day from the poppi team!

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNGb9WaBmwX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMxj842hSN7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.protectyoungminds.org/2020/10/30/collin-kartchner-11-ways-savethekids-honor-his-memory/