How to Stop Feeling Like A Toddler’s Servant
As a Mum you often feel you’re at the mercy of your toddler – being told off for your contribution to imaginative play, having your meal turfed on the floor, having a toy flung at you to pick up, you name it, you have to sort it out.
But to really enjoy time with your toddler you have to feel like the leader, or even CEO, of your life.
At the moment, you might be feeling like:
Your toddler is driving you crazy with their whining and you just want to be left alone
You put a show on so they’ll be entertained and you can do your own thing, but then you immediately feel guilty
You could have an entire day for yourself and still come back and be irritated not long after, as your toddler runs up and rugby tackles you upon your arrival home
You’re always bothered by the mess in your house, with your living area covered in toys and food, and if you clean it, it’s back to a mess a few minutes later.
This isn’t the life you thought you’d be leading and you worry:
You’ll continue to feel frustrated and hard done by
You’ll always feel like you don’t have enough time to do all the things you feel you need to do
You’ll wake up in 5 years and wonder what happened.
First of all, you are not alone.
79% of women have seen a decline in their mental health since Covid, and I’m sure it’s even more for Mums specifically.
Secondly, let me ask you:
Are you planning your time, especially the days you’re with your toddler?
And yes, you may have a swimming lesson planned for 11am but what’s stretching before you between 5 or 6am when they get up and 11am? Hours of time, that’s what.
So what would a CEO or leader be doing? They would probably plan the year (!) but definitely the day. They would map out the direction of their business and they would be guiding their staff!
Our brains do not like open ended time, especially with little kids.
You can start small with your planning at home.
Plan one hour at home to see how it feels – just note down somewhere something like “we’ll have a snack, a game and some outside time” for example (always remembering toddlers don’t always go to our schedule exactly.)
This is how you’ll get all the things done and be present, with a plan that you can tweak over time.
You don’t have to plan every minute but having an outline is how you’ll feel like the leader of the day and not just at the whim of a whinging toddler.
Remember, toddlers love routine, and your brain will love that you have a plan too.
If you’d prefer to hear this in audio form, you can download my private podcast, The Time-Savvy Toddler Mum.
