FROM CHAOS TO CALM

I can never forget a description my husband's coworker described of his wife:

Their toddler woke up....ALL NIGHT LONG.
Finally, after the final episode - she came back into the room, faced the bed,
and bounced her head off the mattress.
Over and over again.
Over and over and over...
Like a crazy person.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Let's be honest. If you've had sleepless children, you can't help but feel smothered in empathy. And laughs (some of relief,) that you are not the only crazy person out there!

Now, my first (okay, second- to sleeplessness), head-banging sessions were directly linked to my first attempts to discipline. I'm not convinced that spanking makes me, or my kids, what I want to be...so, I did time-out. Along with talking, reasoning, and explaining.

Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.

It was fine, and pretty effective...Until I created little escape artists, room trashers, and mommy-exploding makers.

I couldn't get a handle on our chaos. I felt swamped with resistance about EVERYTHING. Teeth brushing, getting dressed, eating, sleeping, going to school, maybe even breathing. I was pregnant, exhausted, and kind of wanted to kill my kids all the time. (My sweet little babies!)

THE CHAOS WAS MAKING ME CRAZY.
And my inability to get a handle on it, made me EVEN CRAZIER!

At the time my friend Jill recommended this:



And it has changed my life.
I read the first half, and heard choirs of angels belting emancipation. And after implementing it,
basked in IMMEDIATE results.
No charts, stickers, or hoops to jump through.
Just raw empowerment.

It is the ONLY parenting book I have ever related to, agreed with, and think is absolute magic. For every stage. Every age. And all of my desires as a mother.

It certainly deserves a post today.

It sits by my Bible.

I love it.
Love me as a mom more.
Love my kids more.
And even love my own mommy more.

You beautiful book.

"BEYOND TIMEOUT. FROM CHAOS TO CALM." by Beth Grosshans