We normally have fairly good days around here.
My children are calm and stable for the most part because we limit activities and adhere to a daily routine and a bedtime that allows for optimal rest.
But then there are Wednesdays.
Wednesdays are busy days.
EA & MC have dance class which is followed by a quick dinner and then evening activities at church.
All of these activities are beneficial to them.
It is good for them to get out and enjoy themselves with other children.
It is good for them to get exercise.
It is good for them to be involved in our local church, singing in the children’s choir and learning scripture through AWANA.
On Wednesdays we don’t arrive home to get to bed until close to 9 o’clock on Wednesdays, two hours past their normal bedtime.
The worse thing about Wednesdays are that they are followed by a hard day on Thursdays.
Thursday morning dawns with cranky, overtired little ones and a mommy that needs to exert extra patience.
This morning, Will was screaming as soon as he woke up. The girls were bickering over every little thing. And I was praying for patience.
Life still must go on in spite of difficult days.
Here are some ways we’ve found to deal with hard Thursdays {and any other hard day that we face}.
Set Realistic Expectations
I don’t plan too much for our known hard days. I try to have a relaxed attitude and know ahead of time that we may face some battles. I adjust my expectations for behavior and discipline (within reason).
Often my husband will remind me before he leaves for work, “You know this may be a hard day and you may not get a lot of school doneâ€. I am grateful for his reminder to be realistic with my expectation of the day ahead.
Give Opportunities for Rest
The biggest reason that these days are so hard is because of being overtired. On these days, I give extra rest periods, especially if things start to get out of hand.
This morning, Will was on his third meltdown around 10:30. I knew he was tired and hurting, so I took him up to his room for an early rest period. He did not have to go to sleep but I did require him to stay in bed and rest. I covered him with a warm blanket, gave him his favorite stuffed toys, turned on quiet music, and turned out the lights before I left the room. This half-hour of rest time helped him to make it through the rest of the morning and lunch before his normal quiet time.
Prepare Yourself
It is important that you, as the mom, are ready and prepared to handle the difficult day yourself. Maybe you need an extra cup of coffee or maybe you need to get yourself up extra early for some quiet time to prepare your own heart and mind for the day ahead.
Give Extra
Hugs, Kisses, Cuddles, Patience, and Understanding. Be ready and willing to give a little extra of all of these when you know you’ll be facing a hard day.
On Thursdays, I can be found saying, “Yes, I know you’re tired. It’s okay.â€, rubbing backs, cuddling on the couch with a book, and even crawling into bed for extra cuddle time.
Do you face predictable hard days in your home?
How to you handle the hard days with your kids?
*The image above is a stock photo. It very well could have been Will during one of his meltdowns this morning, but I try not to post pictures that could embarrass them.
Post linked to: Works for Me Wednesday at We ARE That Family
LifeAtTheCircus says
Great advice girlie. I have found that for us having scheduled down time is huge, H-U-G-E! I also like what you say about your needing to get up early and being ready to anticipate the day. Great advice.
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Jennifer Scruggs says
What’s funny, is that the season of life we are in– I’m the one having the hard days, not necessarily the kiddos! Lilly (88 yr old grandmother on Hospice) rang the bell for me at midnight Wed night. I was up with her until 2am. Then awake again when Jerry got up to leave for work at 4am, then the alarm went off at 6am. Yesterday was Rachel’s birthday, so I was up at the school to eat lunch with her and then back again later in the day to take snack to her class. Add to this the fact that I’ve been keeping my 3 yr old grand-daughter for the last 5 weeks– and Thursday was MY hard day. :):):) Too bad there was no one to take over and put me down for an extra rest period. I went to bed at 8pm– but boy, did it take forever to get here last night. 🙂
Dee says
Yes!! All great things to remember during those difficult school days! We have those too and it just so happens to be Wed and Thur! Hehehe… Must be the thing to do.
At any rate, I schedule light on those days too. Never fails that we have some sorta melt down though.
Take care!
Dee
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