Need temporary Hurricane support

[mackysmama]

I need some support and/or suggestions on how to maintain my gentle discipline principles as we live in a hotel because we had to evacuate our home due to Hurricane Ike. I am in a hotel with my partner, our 6 year old boy and our 3 year old girl, about 3 hours from our home. We've had a pretty good week and have tried to make a vacation of it. But, we are now getting stir crazy and my patience is wearing thin. My partner will be returning to Houston on Sunday (maybe tomorrow) because she has to go to work but I will stay here with the kids until we get power (or until I can't take it anymore!)

Please, give me some suggestions on how to maintain gentle discipline in this situation. I am snapping at the kids for just being kids. They are doing great - they slept through most of the Hurricane and we got out of the city ASAP after the storm so they haven't been very aware of the effects (the primary reason we are staying here). But, it is still a small hotel in a very small town (but close to Austin) that I am very unfamiliar with. We've been going to playgrounds and parks but we are all anxious to get back to our routine.

Please, give me suggestions on things I can do with them, hotel room activities, how to keep my sanity, how to regain my patience, etc. Anything!

[mom_2_carson]

Sounds like you're doing great by finding playgrounds and parks and getting out of the hotel. It must be confusing to the kids as to why they're not at their house and staying in a hotel. I don't have any advice but just wanted to wish you all well.

Jenn

[library lady]

See if you can find a dollar store or other cheap place and get some stuff for them to color, draw, or do craft stuff with. You can always see if they have some of that bath soap that you can safely draw on the bathtub walls with. Try to find things that they can do without much input from you. Also, try to play more. Maybe you can all jump on the bed together or have a playful pillow fight to relieve stress. Getting creative and playful goes a long way.

The biggest thing is to remind yourself that they are just kids. I try to relax most of my standards in situations like that even though my natural inclination is to clamp down.

It will be over soon. They are getting more and more lights on every day.

[Ellen Griswold]

Take heart, this is a temporary situation. Are they any other kids in the hotel? Even if they don't share any of your parenting philosophies, I think that in this case you might benefit from interacting with other adults and your children (especially the 6yo) might like to be with other kids. Any chance the hotel would let you hang a sign for a play date?

[mackysmama]

Thanks everyone! My partner leaves today and I am NERVOUS. I have a list of things for us to do - half price books, playground, fly kites, get a new toy from Target (or dollar store!), etc. I have to remember the bathtub - they both like to play in the tub. They have a hotel pool but it is freezing so they've been swimming in the hot tub. I am trying to not spend too much time in the hotel room and I have relaxed my standards on TV so they've been watching a DVD almost every day.

It's me. I have NO patience left for them. I want to be home. I want to be back into our routine. I want time to myself. I want a good night's sleep. I can't stand hearing them bicker with each other or whine or yell or any of the other things that kids do sometimes. Right now they are playing with each other on the bed, kicking each other, having fun, but it is driving me NUTS. And, of course, it always ends with them yelling at each other.

How do I dig deep and find my patience?

[want2bmoms]

Originally Posted by mackysmama

How do I dig deep and find my patience?

well, they're in a hotel room... can you put the "no no items" up high (top of the closet? car?) where the kids can't get them, tell them you are having a "time out"/rest/break/whatever... but they can play in the hotel room with their toys and eachother, and then you get a chair/pillow, and a good book/other thing you want a few minutes alone with that will help you relax, and sit outside the hotel room door for five or tem minutes?
You could even stick something in to keep it open a half inch, so you could more clearly hear them. If anyone tries to exscape, just tell them "inside. go play"
maybe after a few minutes you'll be ready to go back in, refreshed.