I set parenting goals for myself. Not often, but every now and again, I realize something I don’t like and work change. This year, I wanted to stop yelling at the kids. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens sometimes and I wanted to make a change.

I read a lot of articles and watched videos from The Mom Psychologist, Dr. Paul Jenkins, and Supernanny to find my bearings. It seems like yelling is something everyone does, but I wanted to make a change. I don’t want to lean on it. I don’t want to hear myself doing it, nor do I want to feel “worked up” over trivial day-to-day stuff.

Today, I sat quietly to write and realized it has been a long time since I’ve yelled. So long that I can’t remember when it happened last.

So what’s changed?

I breathe more. I find quiet more. I take breaks. I swim in a new reality, where being a mom is not so much weighted by its long list of responsibilities as it floats in love and support. I think of Rabindranath Tagore when he wrote,

“When we take a pitcherful of water from the sea, it has its weight, but when we take a dip in the sea itself, a thousand pitcherfuls of water flow above our head, and we do not feel their weight.”

Today, I’ve found peace in noticing progress has happened in our little home. And I’m grateful.

What has brought you peace today? Share the peace!