Someone once said, if there’s a life plan mapped out for us, it’s based around some pretty complicated architecture.

How many times have you said to yourself: who would have thought a year ago that I would be sitting here doing this or that?

The one thing you can expect in life is the unexpected. So how do you deal with it? How do you manage when things don’t go quite the way you planned?
What do you do about life’s little emergencies?  Here are some thoughts.

1. React. Don’t overreact. When little things go wrong we tend to see them as catastrophic. Keep things in perspective. As they say, things are often never as bad as they seem.

We all like to think we had a happy childhood. Of all the things we want for our children, happiness probably tops the list.  But, it can be tough being a kid. There are moments of tears, moments your children trip and hurt themselves, and, moments they’re just plain fed up. ‘I’m bored mom!’ How many times have you heard that? We’d like to share some thoughts that five different moms shared with us.

1. Get down on your knees and talk to your kids at their height. Really. It’s amazing to look at a room from the eye level of a child. It’s a simple way to literally see things from their perspective.

2. Don’t just say ‘no’. Explain why. Sometimes it’s tempting to simply say: ‘because I said so!’ But, when you take a few seconds to explain why, you stand more chance of resonating with your child. This isn’t a new age-y sentiment to treat your child as an equal; that’s not necessarily good. It’s simply trying to talk on a rational level. Caution: This approach will not always work!

3. Tell them jokes. Sounds crazy we know. But one mom we spoke to has compiled a book of jokes just for her kids. She has a joke for every occasion. When her children are bored, concerned or sad, she lightens the mood. She tells a joke and encourages her child to tell one back. She finds her kids open up and say what’s really on their minds.