Yesterday afternoon, my little one was in a MOOD.
Crying. Complaining. Upset about… honestly, at that point, I wasn’t even sure what anymore.
Naturally, I did what any well-meaning mum with absolutely no idea what to do would do.
I started offering solutions..
“Do you want a snack?”
“No!”
“Shall we play your favourite song?”
“No!”
“What about your toys?”
Apparently, I was running a five-star entertainment service for the world’s most dissatisfied customer. 😂
And the more I tried to cheer her up, the more upset she seemed to get.
Honestly, I was getting frustrated. I just wanted her to feel better. Was that too much to ask?
But then I had a little realisation.
I was so busy trying to make her feel better that I wasn’t allowing her to feel bad.
I was treating her bad mood like a problem I had to solve before the end of my shift.
So I stopped.
I sat down beside her on the floor, took a breath, and let her cry. No distractions. No solutions. No desperate attempts to turn the mood around.
I just said, “It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re allowed to feel this way.”
And slowly, she leaned into me and let it all out.
In that moment, I realised something: she didn’t need me to fix her feelings. She needed to know she didn’t have to hide them from me.
And maybe, just maybe, I needed to stop treating every tear like a problem I had to solve.
Because the goal isn’t to raise children who never feel sad, angry, or disappointed.
It’s to raise children who know they can feel all those things and still be okay.
And apparently, sometimes the best thing a mum can do is retire from her unpaid job as Chief Happiness Officer. 😂💛
If you’re a mum who’s trying her best, even on the messy days, follow Parenting is Impossible for honest stories, fresh perspectives, and a little laughter along the way. ❤️
