Parenting reality checks

I often talk with my mom patients about the need for “parenting reality checks;” that is, opportunities to acknowledge the sometimes difficult realities of parenting. Moms (myself included) often have inflated expectations about how their kids will behave or how events will go, and when these expectations are not met, frustration and disappointment ensues. Better, then, to have realistic expectations…which is exactly the point that the terrific Meghan Leahy from The Washington Post’s On Parenting discusses in this article. Here she helps a mother who is stressed out by the seemingly out-of-control home behavior of her 3 and 6 year-olds, reminding the mother that this behavior is developmentally appropriate and offering concrete strategies for managing it. As the mother of a 3 and 6-year old, I can completely relate to this. Especially the part about couch jumping!