Family Talk: Can they hear me?

Just like many of you, my days are jam packed with the daily activities my life as a working mother entails.

Those stay-at-home mothers and fathers, I know, can relate with all that a day in the life of a parent consists of as well. From the time you wake up in the morning to the time you pass out in bed, a lot of times in the a.m. hours, the days are busy and filled with cleaning, preparing food, getting kids ready for school—and that's all before 8 a.m.

With the constant on-the-go lifestyle many of us lead, it is so easy to become tired as the day wears on. One thing that makes the day even that much more tiring? Having to repeat yourself, constantly. And this is not for complicated communications with the kids. I'm referring to having to repeat nearly everything that is said, at least once.

From "okay, let's go" and "come to the table for dinner" to "go ahead and jump in the shower" and "it's time for bed" (especially that last one), I find that if I only say something once, more times than not, it won't get done.

My sweet, cute, precious babies have gone from cooing and smiling at my voice and every word to, seemingly, drowning me out completely.

Now, it is understandable that this happens with kids. They are playing and having a good time and don't always want to stop doing what they're doing to do something being dictated to them. I get that; I wouldn't want to have to always drop what it is that I'm doing to follow someone else's directive all the time either. I, however, am an adult and can differentiate between what I want to do versus what needs to be done at a given time. And we all know that kids cannot.

How, then, do we, as parents, have them listen without having to continuously say the same things over and over again throughout the day? How do we get them to listen without having to grit our teeth and force words out of them?

When I feel that the day is wearing me down, my energy levels are low, and my frustrations are getting high, the last thing I want, or really need, is to have to say the same things 3 and 4 times.

At least there is one other thing that adults can understand and strive to exude, and that is patience. That's the only thing that I have seen help me in such moments.

Does that mean that I don't sound like a crazy person sometimes, repeating the smallest things? No. But it does help me keep things in perspective and realize that all of that, for them, is just part of being a kid, and for me it is just part of being a parent.

I just wish that I wouldn't have to realize that on an, almost, daily basis!