Save the Day: Three Top Tips for Tired Moms of Young Children

Mamas, when the kiddos are little, we haven’t the time (and certainly not the energy or inclination) to deal with fancy Get Ready routines or changes in a child’s highly structured television schedule.

For all the pilot wives/mamas on tight, uncertain schedules, and new parents everywhere: a few tips and skills to master that you might not read about in baby books:

Learn to go from zero to dressed and ready (whatever that means for you) in eight minutes or less. Five is a little fast and generally a high expectation, and ten minutes…too much. Seven minutes, 30 seconds is perfection, but let’s allow a buffer. Especially helpful on days you slept in and woke up to a sick child, or you realize the field trip that you forgot to put on the calendar IS THIS MORNING.

Know when the regular fundraising broadcasts air on your local public television affiliate. Otherwise, your child’s expected viewing of “Sesame Street” becomes “Sesame Street, Interrupted,” which means a showing of “Child, Unglued.” These fundraisers usually air twice a year. Mark it on your calendar.

Practice ignoring tantrums that are all about drama. Common moves to master: the Step Over, the Walk Around, the Leave The Room, and (my favorite): the Hide in the Car That is Parked in Garage or Driveway.

(Quick story: Last year, I saw a mom IN PUBLIC ignoring her daughter’s tantrum. The little girl, bless her heart, was clearly in Drama Mode with torso on the floor, feet flailing and head shaking. Her mom stood near enough to not be charged with child abandonment, far away enough to feign ignoring her child, and with the best deadpan expression…ever. She had the guts to wait out that craziness without worrying what anyone thought, or at least faking it real good. That, my friends, is being a supermom.)