Ridiculous (But Funny) Things Parents Do To Keep the Peace

It’s pretty funny to find yourself doing some ridiculous things as a parent. I find myself doing things that don’t logically make sense, but that I do anyway just so I can keep the peace with my toddler and avoid a tantrum. In the moment I may be a bit frustrated, but later I laugh at the sheer silliness of some of the things I do. In the end, though, I’m a big proponent of doing whatever it takes (within reason). Let me share one of the latest aspects of my daily life that probably makes me look crazy to the average person, but that a parent of a toddler would understand.

Source: Tanya Little/Flickr

The Car Routine

Getting into and out of the car these days poses issues for my 22-month-old. First, he doesn’t want to get into the car because he wants to walk around the sidewalk. Then, upon our return home, he doesn’t want to get out of the car and into the house. Both situations can cause a tantrum. I found that a major source of the issue was the car being in the garage, so, I started changing how we get in/out of the car.

In the morning, I walk out with him through the front door instead of the garage door and walk around to get in the car, which is in the garage. When we return home, I leave the car parked in the driveway instead of pulling into the garage. In the afternoon, since the car is already in the driveway, there are no issues (usually). But, upon our return from picking up big sister at school, I again leave the car in the driveway, get the kids inside the house, then walk back out alone to pull the car into the garage.

None of this makes sense and the process would be smoother if I could just go in and out of the house through the garage. But, baby boy has been spared from a full-on tantrum at 8 am many times due to our new car routine. I can’t pretend I understand his reasoning, but I’m going with it until I can reason with him a little more.

What ridiculous things have you done to keep the peace in your home?