Kids = Chaos - What You Need to Do to Save Your Sanity

Your kids yell, fight, scream, taunt, play, make funny noises, talk, and complain all day long without any vacations. You try to remain calm and tuck your anger and frustrations under the rug along with the bits of dust from the day, but it happens anyway. You end up yelling at the top of your lungs and your kids chime in. Eventually, you all sound like a chorus line from a poorly rehearsed school play. While occasionally it's okay to vent to your children to let them know you're still alive, this isn't the most laid-back route to take. There are several things you can do to keep your cool by avoiding these types of situations altogether.

Teach Them to Be Independent

While this is easier said than done, it is by far the best way to allow yourself the free time you need to de-stress, chill out, and handle your kids in a more reassuring manner. It takes time to do this properly though. Some things kids just aren't able to do until they've reached a certain age, don't let that slow you down. Start early for the best results because once they've become overly dependent on you, you can kiss your free time goodbye.

Start Early with Etiquette Training

No one appreciates a kid who talks back, speaks while their talking, and have never heard of the word please or thank you. These kids somehow think they are entitled to everything everyone has and that they shouldn't have to be bothered with asking. This is not only a bad look for your kids, but it's a bad look for you too. It tells others that you don't care what your kids do or how they treat people (and I know you do). This is especially true of people who don't have kids. Get them prepared to deal with society and you can enjoy spending more time together outside of the house. Plus, you'll be able to trust them to behave when you're not around. Can somebody say "stay at Grandma's for the night"?

Get Your Kids Used to a Routine

Kids like structure. I'm sure you've heard this hundreds of times. Routines make them feel safe because they know what to expect. Routines also let you enjoy the freedom from stressed out kids who don't want to get ready for bed, do their homework, or take a bath. If you set up a basic schedule for them to follow, they will know exactly what to expect at exactly the time you want it to happen. This also allows you to do things at the spur of the moment and then easily put your child right back on track with the next scheduled event on their schedule.

These are the very simple basic components of having peace in your home, especially if you have more than one child. Start with these, and you'll be well on your way to enjoying the fun parts of growing up.

Have you tried any of these things with your own kids? How is it working out for you? Is there anything that you would add to the list that would make your kids easier to deal with?