Last Monday was not a parenting day to be proud of. It was the first day of school holidays & I was grumpy, shouty, frustrated and irritable. (Life coaches are Human too!). So what went wrong from a relationship point of view between me and my kids? A few mistakes …
* We had different expectations of one another & the holidays but hadn’t discussed it
* We hadn’t eased ourselves in gently to a new routine. I now have much longer school holidays (one of the many downsides of the switch to private school – fees being another!) & hence am juggling coaching & mum-ing. I had clients booked for 8.30am that morning when we would usually all laze in bed together & come up with agreements.
* I’d forgotten that any change in routine can be bumpy for all concerned and we needed to name it, talk about it & make allowances.
And I hear the same happen with clients all the time. It could be adjusting to a partner working from home one day, when they are usually out of the house. Suddenly they are right there, in your domain & it’s annoying! Or all being on holiday together. Or one partner having been away for a few days or more. Or even just returning home at the end of the day. Re-entry can be bumpy for everyone until you get in your groove and adjust to the new rhythm.
The key thing is to talk about it. (Isn’t it always?! ????). Talk about how you want to be around one another, what expectations you have, what you would each like to happen etc. And then be patient with yourself and others to allow you all to find your rhythm.
If you are in the process of adjusting to a change in routine then be gentle with yourself. And remember it’s normal for there to be a few bumps along the way. Please like / share. Sue X