I wrote something before about how most of good parenting comes from your energy level.
To put it as short as possible, it’s hard to be a bad parent if you have lots of energy. If you have no energy, being a good parent is hard. Your ideas and philosophy on parenting are much less important than your ability to show up in your role as a parent with energy.
Related to this, there is no more important lever as a parent than your kid’s sleep. If your kids sleep well and nap, they will likely be happy, fun, and adaptable. If they don’t sleep well and don’t nap, they will be difficult, emotional, and combative.
For me, the 80/20 of good parenting is:
- Get 8 hours of sleep
- Exercise a few times a week
- Cook for yourself and follow basic principles of healthy eating (Your basic “Grandma knows” stuff)
- Create structure and routine around your kids sleep
- Have set nap times and work to follow them regularly
- Have set bedtimes
- Make sure your kids get some good protein with breakfast – eggs and yogurt work for us.
On the days when we cover this list, things go smoothly.
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