Image: Flickr/Maria Grazia Montagnari

“The real menace in dealing with a five-year-old is that in no time at all you begin to sound like a five-year-old.” (Joan Kerr)

There seems to be this odd phenomenon in families where, in an effort to get our children to act more maturely, we end up acting just as immaturely as they do. Maybe, instead of mirroring their maturity level back to them, we should model a better way to handle things. When you get frustrated in the midst of an exchange with your child, ask yourself how old you are behaving at that moment. If the answer is closer to your child’s age than your own, smile and know that you certainly aren’t the first parent to lose your adulthood in the heat of the moment. Then, gather yourself and show your child what a grown up looks like in the mirror: someone who remains calm, cool, and connected — no matter what.