Parenting the high-energy child

Wow! I have a two-year old son that just never stops. And regularly I get asked how to parent a high-energy child. It's funny, because there's no magic answer (there are several tricks, but no magic unfortunately).

From experience, I automatically respond, "get as much sleep as you can." And that answer is followed with laughter. But I really believe it's true, a well-rested parent is much more likely to have good responses to a child who just seems to never, ever stop.

I have seven kids, and my youngest is the high-energy kid. You'd think God would have cut me some slack and sent the busy-body when I was younger, but I'm convinced that he's got a sense of humor and decided to wait until I was far more tired.

The good news is that I have some older children who can help me chase the little guy around. The bad news is that the other kids think he's quite a riot and so they feed his energy.

Some things that help parents in need? Well, I know that a schedule helps immensely. Try to keep your child on a solid schedule. Tired, high-energy children are far more difficult to handle than well rested ones. You might think they'll run out of energy if they're tired, but experience tells me that they just get cranky and use all that energy for destructive behavior — and that's when you're really in trouble...

So, as the loving tough-love mom and coach that I am, I'm suggesting that you schedule yourself some good sleep time, keep your toddler or pre-schooler on a tight schedule, keep the healthy foods going in (for you and your child) and don't wait for him to get too tired.

Last night my toddler decided to throw a ceramic plate off the table because his food wasn't ready yet. The plate didn't make it. The floor was ok. And I learned to get him strapped into his high chair sooner, rather than later.

Happy chasing!!