“When the kids are playing up, instead of just going mad I try to approach things calmly.”
Kids Matter helped me learn how to manage my kids a bit better. I’m quite hot-headed and I realise that I need to be calmer. Now, I try to remember to count and breathe in tense situations. I don’t do it all the time – I’m human – but I do my best to avoid massive blow-ups between the kids, because once I lose my temper that’s game over. When the kids are playing up, instead of just going mad I try to approach things calmly. Sometimes I still lose it with my two 4-year-old boys, but I want to be better.
I felt really welcomed at Kids Matter. I was at ease and I found it easy to share – the group was a really big support. We’re all in the same boat. I’m not on my own; everyone’s kids are hard work. There was no judgement.
I enjoyed being with the other mums in the group – everybody had different things to say and we all listened. It was just really nice to vent as well. There was always nice food and to have the chance to talk to other adults, as opposed to just sitting and being with my kids, was really nice.
The Kids Matter booklets were also really helpful. I liked writing things down and then discussing what we wrote. I gave the booklets to the boys’ dad to read through at home so that he could pick up things that I’d learnt. He’d look at my answers to the questions and if he had a different answer, we’d talk about it.
I listened to how other parents dealt with things (different ways of parenting) and took bits from everyone. Yeah, it was really nice. I’ve recommended Kids Matter to many of my friends.
*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the individual.
The attached picture is not a representation of the individual concerned.