How to Quit Being Annoyed When Your Kids Interrupt Your Plans

I'm sitting in Chick-fil-A, enjoying my meal, when my toddler pipes up, “I need to go potty!”

Or I'm sitting at the computer early in the morning, happy that I'm up early enough to get in a little bit of writing before the kids wake up, when I hear little footsteps coming down the hallway.

Or I'm sitting outside, reading a book while my kids play, but they keep calling to me, “Mommy, watch this!”

In every one of those situations, the temptation is to (whether inwardly or outwardly) roll my eyes and let out an annoyed sigh.

• “This isn't what I was planning to do right now.”
• “I'm hungry. I don't want to take you potty.”
• “I'm trying to get a little work done here; why are you up so early?”
• “Can't you see I'm trying to read? It would be great if I didn't get interrupted every two seconds.”

(Random thought: Why do all of my illustrations involve sitting? It's too bad they're not more like, “I'm trying to finish my one hour workout, and just as I'm getting ready to do my 99th push-up, one of my kids comes and sits on my back.” Anyway, I'll make a mental note that I need to be more active and get back to my point.)
As horrible as it sounds to get annoyed at my kids for…well…being kids, I know I'm not the only one who is tempted to do that. (I mean, if you never get annoyed at your kids, then I'm not sure why you're reading this post.)

But let me share with your what the Lord has taught me about that.

Number one, getting annoyed when my plans get interrupted is selfish, plain and simple.
How in the world do I expect to teach my children to think of others first when I'm showing them by my example that I think of myself first?

Number two, interruptions to my plans are just a fact of life when kids are involved. So instead of getting annoyed that I can't follow through with what I was planning to do, I need to fully turn my attention to the new, modified plans and enjoy them for what they are.
A kid has to go potty? Okay, so let me fully turn my attention to helping said child go potty instead of keeping my mind on the meal I'm not getting to enjoy right now. I can put a smile on my face and enjoy holding hands with my little girl as we walk to the bathroom. I can put my heart and soul into encouraging her for being such a big girl. I can make up a fun song about washing hands when she's done going potty. We can make funny faces at each other in the bathroom mirror.

And now the process of taking my little girl potty, something that had to be done regardless of what kind of attitude I had, has turned into a gentle parenting moment instead of a huff-and-puff-at-my-child moment.

Jim Elliot, martyred missionary to the Auca Indians of Ecuador, once said, “Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation which you believe to be the will of God.”

Learning to “be all there” makes a big difference in how we treat our children when interruptions arise.

Setting aside whatever I was hoping to do at the moment and fully engaging my heart and mind with what actually is occurring makes the difference between a frustrated, gruff parent and a mom who is gentle and kind.

Living to the hilt every situation that is the will of God includes loving my children with an unselfish love. (Titus 2:4)

You see, cuddling a sleepy child climbing into my lap while I'm trying to write is actually the will of God for me at that moment.
Joyfully encouraging a potty training child is the will of God for me.
Giving my attention to an excited child while they play is God's will for me.

I'm not in any way saying that the things we plan to do that don't involve our children are wrong.

But when they're not working out, it is not God's will for us to pitch a little fit because we're not getting our way. It's not God's will for us to treat our children rudely because they interrupted us.

It's God's will for us to accept the interruption as his plan for our day and choose to be all there (the new, modified plan) instead of mentally remaining all there (our original plan.)

I hope I've made some sense today, and I hope that as you encounter interruptions from your children that you will fully engage yourself with those interruptions instead of allowing yourself to become annoyed.

This post is part of the Parenting with Gentleness series.