Exaggerate don’t Explode

Goofy Drama for the Win

Everyone has lost their cool with their kids at least once. That’s especially true if you’re learning how to break generational cycles. It’s hard to stop repeating the things that were modeled for you as a child!

(All the more reason to try to model something healthy for your kids)

The solution? Exaggerate don’t explode.

This is an exercise for breaking yourself of bad habits when it comes to overreacting to the general chaos that kids tend to bring into your life. If you grew up with yelling, hitting, or high drama language in the home keep reading because we’re taking those reactions and making them healthy and fun.

Big Emotion

When it comes to kids we talk a lot about helping them learn to handle their big emotions. But what about the parents?

One of the things that makes gentle parenting so difficult is that it really dials into the need for parents to learn how to regulate their emotions. You can’t model what you can’t do after all.

Just like kids parents also need outlets for their big emotions and exaggerate don’t explode is an easy one to add to your parenting toolbox.

Big Drama

Kids love drama when it’s fun.

Yelling at them for not cleaning their puzzle up the three hundredth time you asked? Understandable, but not fun.

Pretending you’re a dinosaur who eats puzzle pieces so they have to race to pick them up before you get them? Definitely fun!

Big Goofs

Pretending to be a puzzle-eating dinosaur so you can stomp and roar may seem like a goofy way to deal with anger but goofy works.

When you stomp and scream around the kids it’s scary but make it goofy and everyone gets to have fun even while you get to vent that anger out of your body.

Wrap Up

Just like kids need to learn ways to deal with their big feelings so do adults. If you’re a parent or guardian of little kids then making things just a little bit goofier is the way to go.

If you want to try adding this into your parenting routine just remember, exaggerate don’t explode!