Parenting Transformation Journey – Page 16

I’m in a bit of a dilemma. I have a business commitment with a deadline this morning, and I’m already a couple of hours behind schedule.

But I also have six kids at home, and today they’ve been taking turns needing something from me. So even stopping to write this feels like I’m veering off-task… but this is what it looks like sometimes. I’m choosing, consciously, to pause and assess what’s going on—and how I’m responding to it.

(Just now: Sarah came in and gently placed her pet rat on my shoulder. I’m going to keep typing.)

With each interruption, I’ve been trying to stay calm. It’s not easy when there are deadlines, pressure, and noise all at once. I’ve kept my words steady, but I’m pretty sure my eyes (wide and probably a little wild) have betrayed my inner frustration.

Make that two more interruptions… and counting.

Okay. Realistically, I don’t think this is going to work if I want to meet today’s commitment. I’ll need to wrap this up fast.

(Another interruption just now.)

But before I log off, I do want to share a small win from earlier:

About 20 minutes ago, one of my daughters earned an extra chore—and let’s just say, she didn’t take it calmly. But I stayed calm. I’m calling that a victory. Instead of escalating things by adding another chore for her outburst, I asked, “Would you like to go calm down somewhere before we talk about it?” She shouted, “YES! But I DON’T want to TALK ABOUT IT!!!” and disappeared down the hall. I said (pretty sure she could still hear me), “If you can calm down, then we won’t need to.”

I’m not sure what the “right” next step is. I think Nicholeen Peck would say we should talk about it later, because any kind of time out is really just a preparation space—for coming back to a calm, productive conversation.

But in this case, I’m choosing to let it lie… at least for now. If it ever comes up again naturally, maybe during a tender moment when emotions aren’t flaring, we can revisit it. Right now, I want her to know she’s allowed to cool off without the looming pressure of being confronted afterward.

Funny enough, she just came skipping in to ask me an unrelated question. She seems fine now. So yes—I’ll talk to her about it later. But for now, I’m choosing to finish this post, shift gears, and wrap up what I promised to do today.

If anything I’ve shared doesn’t sit right with you, that’s okay. I only ask that before leaving any comments, please watch this particular BBC episode (link below). It beautifully illustrates the process I’m working through. They explain that in the middle of a life-saving surgery, it might look like chaos—or even like something’s gone terribly wrong. It’s messy in the middle. But I believe in the end result.

Each of these posts on their own may not give you the full picture… but the episode does. Enjoy!

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