A parent admits she used to make threats she couldn't keep, like canceling family holidays when angry. The fix: stick to realistic consequences you can actually follow through on, like no ice cream today instead of empty promises that teach kids not to believe you.
We're talking about how to maintain this balance between an important career and giving time for your kids. Here's a second point that you said was very helpful about sticking to the no.
I'm the kind of mom who goes no, no, no, yes, okay. So it's just so difficult, uh, and I still have to remind myself, keep consistent. If you say no, just stick with it. I know you were watching me in the early years, um, and you were so there for me, talk me through a lot of these situations. But I think one of the things that you noted with me was that when I was upset with the kids, that I would make these unrealistic threats. If you don't do that now, there's no holiday. That's it. We're canceling the family holiday. And I remember you saying, Laura, are you crazy? You're not canceling this. Try and do something realistic and stick with it because they have to believe that you mean it.
I remember saying, you can say, yes, you can definitely have an ice cream tomorrow and not right now while it's bedtime.
