Ever get a feeling your days are starting to look like a scene out of a bad reality show?
I remember a time when every morning felt like that!
My daughter was just about 3 years old then.
My in-laws were visiting us.
I have no idea why, but my daughter had started to really act out. She seemed to resist, fight and demand that everything must go her way. But the mother of all battles was about what clothes to wear. Every. single. morning.
Summer was long gone, and the cold winter was settling in. But she was not ready to give up her favorite summer frocks yet. She had declared war on every coat, jacket, leggings, full-sleeved shirts or winter dresses that we owned. NOT fun.
After a couple of weeks of begging, pleading, bribing, screaming, crying, tantrums and threats – every single morning – we were all worn out.
To me this was a double whammy. I was not just frustrated with my inability to dress her up in weather appropriate clothing, I was also eternally embarrassed about the daily spectacle that my in-laws got to witness.
And then one day, my father-in-law had a suggestion.
Now honestly, I can be a butt-head about accepting advice, especially from in-laws, especially if I felt that it questions my parenting abilities.
But seriously, I had no defense – any semblance of my parenting capabilities lay tattered on the floor and besides, my father-in-law is the sweetest man in the world. [Read more…]