Enough Time...

The return to work has been quite an adjustment for us all.

Thank goodness for my mom. She's been really helpful lately. She watches Grant during the day, picks Eryn up from school until I get home from work, and has been amazing while helping Eryn readjust to my time outside of home and her new school.

Lately, I've felt stretched thinner than ever and as if I have little time for anything beyond our normal routine and work.

Our six year old, Eryn, has been displaying some unusual (yet familiar) behavior. Tantrums, crying, yelling, bullying her brother and most annoying of them all defying my requests and direction. The defiance typically shows up when I'm in a rush, on time, early morning, late at night, when I have lots of energy, when I'm exhausted, at home, or in a crowded public place. You get the drift...during any hour of the day whenever she feels like it.

Thank goodness for Barnes and Nobles and the Internet.

After some searching, I reaffirmed what I knew...I needed to create more time for Eryn and display a bit more empathy towards her. The new school, new friends, parents away from home, new siblings, etc...it's all very overwhelming!

In any case (without running on) here are my public commitments to helping restore Eryn's behavior by creating more time for her:

- Leave work on time to ensure a consistent pick up time each day
- Never bypass our bedtime story
- Take time to listen to what she has to say
- Respect her age and experience
- Create a more consistent system for rewards and discipline that my husband and I agree to - no more middle of the week "guilt surprises".
- Follow through on my verbal commitments to her (I couldn't count the number of times that I've heard "But...you promised!")
- Prioritize time to do things that Eryn loves, i.e. board games, arts & crafts and family movie night.

Has your little one's behavior ever taken a sudden turn? How did you handle it?