It is that wonderful time of year between Christmas and the New Year when you have tired, irritable

kids who are bored out of their routine, they're bugging each other.

Your family may be watching you as you parent your strong will child, and that can cause you

to be more on edge or less patient with your kids.

Siblings are together all day.

You and your spouse are together all day. And usually you don't

spend all that time together. And so that may cause a little tension. And what I want you to know

is this is perfectly normal. It would be weird if people were emailing. You know what? Everybody

is getting along so well. My spouse and I are on the same page with discipline. We're perfectly aligned.

That would be weird. So how can you de-escalate tense standoffs and sibling fights instead of

ruining entire days? That is what we're going to discuss on today's special ad-free episode of

the Calm Parenting podcast. Welcome. This is Kirk Martin, founder Celebrate Calm, and you can find our new ad-free episode of the Calm Parenting Podcast. Welcome. This is Kirk Martin,

found our Celebrate Calm, and you can find our new ad-free option at celebratecum.com,

and we have extended our Christmas sale on our programs. Why? Because you need it now more than ever.

So let's go through five different things very quickly. Number one, think about yourself before anyone else.

And I know this will initially sound selfish, but it's not.

The greatest gift you give your family is not what you do for them.

It is what you do for yourself.

See, when you make your own needs a priority, when you take care of yourself first,

then when, not if the inevitable meltdowns come later, oh, you're going to be more patient,

you can problem solve. But if you're anxious, tired, and on edge, you'll react to every little

thing your kids do and it will just spiral.

...