Mom, Let’s Play Tic Tac Toe

You and your kids need each other to laugh, love, hug, and enjoy life in the same space. But let’s face it.

It ain’t always easy.

My youngest son growled at me. We were working through a math problem together and he knew the answer, but I insisted we go through all the steps.

He huffed. He puffed. Then he growled.

Challenge accepted.

I closed the book and said, “come on.”

Stepping into the front yard, we moved into the glorious sunlight. I closed my eyes, exhaled and whispered. “It’s a beautiful day.”

He snorted.

“Really. It’s gorgeous out. Do you want to come with me on a short bike ride in a few minutes?”

He shook his head, “WHAT?!?”

“I said, do you want to go on a short bike ride soon?”

He let our his breath a little. “I guess”.

Then I smiled and held out my hand for him to shake. “CONGRATULATIONS!”

When he grasped my hand I shared, “It took you a little longer than your four older brothers, but you’ve finally decided you know how to do your math without receiving help from me.”

Mom, parenting is tough.

Even if you don’t homeschool, you’re gonna bump heads with your kids. As they get older, smellier, and more creative in the ways they say “no”, it becomes more of a challenge to be kind back. But we MUST be kind.

But I fail at that too. I don’t always step into the sun with grumpy kids.

I’ve been known to over-react and give them odd things to do:

Push-ups
Planks
Suicide sprints
Chop wood
Clean the kitchen
Pick up dog poop

Sometimes, these aren’t even over-reactions, but exactly the right task for the ‘tude. Other times, I make things worse.

We need to parent smarter.

Defusing Attitude BEFORE it shows up.

One of the best tips I ever received was from a sweet grey haired mom. She said, “Bekki, find ways to enjoy your kids every day. Even the HARD days.”

So I Invented Tic Tac Toe for Mom.

The game is simple. Complete 1-9 tasks on the list everyday, but on the hard days? The days when they growl, grunt, and complain… I try to complete all of them.

Give it a try.

Easy to play

Cut out Tic Tac Toe board (cover) You may want to laminate for longer life

Each day, try to complete at least THREE in a row. On harder days, try to complete them all.

Tasks:

FREE SPACE. Simply look at each child and smile until they smile back. Hug your child until you feel them let go
Turn on your child’s favorite song and begin to dance in time with the beat, like baby grout in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 https://youtu.be/6dQK8TCTuTY
Read anything aloud to your kids! If you remember while in the grocery store, read the back of the Old Spice Deodorant tube!

Get the FREE game

That’s it. Play Tic Tac Toe with your kids. For You. For them

As a child’s game, no one wins tic tac toe. As a mom game… everyone wins.

It’s teacher’s appreciation day today!

Yes, you’re a teacher too! Everything on TpT is on sale!! (time sensitive)