You take your spouse and two children out to dinner at a fine restaurant. One child can’t find anything on the menu he likes. The other spills milk on the table and himself. Both eat little of their dinners and complain that the food is too cold. They begin to wiggle.

You are only one thought away from finding the peace and the calm that will help you deal with the situation productively.

You drive your daughter across town to her dance lesson. When you get there she discovers she does not have her shoes. She begins to cry.

You are only one thought away from finding the peace and the calm that will help you deal with the situation productively.

At the middle school parent/teacher conferences you receive some unexpected news. Several teachers inform you that your son has not been turning in his homework on a regular basis. Two teachers let you know he has been exhibiting a negative and self-defeating attitude in class. On your drive home you feel your emotional temperature rising as you get closer and closer to your destination.

You are only one thought away from finding the peace and the calm that will help you deal with the situation productively.

That’s right. It only takes one thought to get centered, one thought to return you to peace, one thought to turn fear and anger into love. The next time you are caught up in negative emotion, full of judgmental thoughts, or feel the desire to attack, use one of the following thoughts to help you return to calm, contentment, and peace.

1. This too shall pass.
2. These children are much more than their behavior.
3. I can treat disrespect, respectfully.
4. This is not about me, but rather about them.
5. I am connected to the same originating spirit as are each of my children.
6. I remember that perception is a choice.
7. I am responsible for what I see.
8. There is a way to turn this into a learning experience.
9. This gives me the perfect data I need to design the next parental teaching.
10. This is age-appropriate behavior for six-year-olds (ten-year-olds or teen-agers) so I won’t take it personally.
11. Sometimes children have to go south before seeing the value of going north.
12. Mistakes, theirs or mine, are opportunities for growth.
13. This is the perfect opportunity for me to teach about cause and effect by holding my children accountable for their behaviors/choices.
14. They are simply showing me the best way they know how what they need to learn next.
15. I don’t need the approval of others to be happy.
16. I can figure out what love would do now?
17. I am not responsible for the choices they make.
18. I can choose to be relaxed now.
19. I can let go of judging and simply watch this from a place of silent witness.
20. I can rise above this.
21. How can I be of service here?
22. The ability to be calm is within me.
23. No matter what happened, I can stay calm and centered.
24. Regardless of how many times I fall down, I can get back up.
25. I can bend in the wind without being broken.
26. Sometimes they have to take a step back before they get ready to move forward.
27. As one door closes, another opens.
28. I trust that they know what is best for them.
29. Every problem has a solution.
30. God will guide me.
31. Everything I need is present in this moment.
32. I can trust my inner-knowing here.

Feeling stressed out, beleaguered, or simply frustrated with a child or spouse? If so, remember you can choose to think like no one else so your children can grow up to be like on one else. You are always only one thought away from finding the peace and the calm that will help you deal with the parenting situation productively.

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Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman are the authors of The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose. They are two of the world’s foremost authorities on raising responsible, caring, confident children. They publish a free monthly e-zine for parents. To sign up for it so you can learn to parent like no one else, visit their website today: www.personalpowerpress.com