I am a middle school teacher and a mom to three children, so I am around kids ALL DAY almost everyday! I rarely get any down time or much-desired quiet time. From my experience with children - which by no means makes me an expert! - I have learned you have to "Let it go!" (Yes, I am singing the song in my head.) I think most every parent knows the songs from Frozen verbatim (ad nauseam?). However, I actually like "Let It Go." It has become somewhat of a mantra for me. I am a typical Type-A personality - I like rules and I like order. While they are not big fans of rules and orders, kids do need some structure. However, bogging them down with rule after rule after rule will burn everyone out. Sometimes you have to pick your battles. Ask yourself if this is truly important? Do I really need to make a big deal out of this? Can this situation resolve itself? Sometimes kids have to learn lessons on their own. "Let it go, let it go." We can not micromanage their lives.

Another important sanity-saver is to get that downtime, take a little break! Go for a walk with your music playing, read, take a bath - do something to get a little me time. It is not selfish, it is necessary. Parents are going, going, going all the time. It seems we are always "on." Just a little break will help everyone. It will help us step back from a tense situation and gain better perspective. We will also feel better if we are recharged and don't feel like we are running on empty.

So, let some things go. We are never going to be perfect and neither are our kids. We need to realize that no matter our good intentions, kids are going to be kids. Sometimes this means they are absolutely adorable and make our hearts sing and burst with pride; and sometimes this means they will be a terror from you-know-where and make us wonder where we went wrong and try to pretend they aren't our kids! We can do our best to love them, teach them right and wrong, let them learn life lessons, and love them some more; then proudly watch them as they grow up and actually put those lessons to work.