We all have moments of frustration with our kids, whether it's because they're asking their 42nd question of the day or throwing a tantrum over a seemingly trivial issue.

It can definitely be hard to keep your cool in these situations. To help, we asked moms to share their best tips for not losing your temper with your kids. 

 

1. Breathe

"The first thing to do is BREATHE and count to ten. This gives you a chance to calm down before you try to deal with the situation." -Joni Hudson-Reynolds of Ebony Mom Politics

 

2. Pretend This Isn't Your Child

"Pretend this isn't 'your' child. How would you teach, show, tell and help any other child on earth how to handle this particular situation better? You can imagine that, right?" -Christina Ciani of FiZGiGZ Bootstrap Your Bliss: Raising ARtists & ARting Life

 

3. Give Yourself a Time Out

"Sometimes removing yourself from the situation for two minutes, (like in a locked bathroom, LOL) giving yourself space to breathe without being touched or whined at can make all the difference." -Sasha Brodeur ofLemonade Makin' Mama

 

"Walking away is the best thing I can do to buy myself the five seconds (or five minutes) I need to think through how to respond. (Note: be sure the kids are relatively safe before walking away.)" -Christine Virgin of I can't even pee in peace

 

4. Distract Yourself

"I've found that distracting myself from the situation and doing something productive always helps remove my emotions from it. I focus on wiping down a counter or some other mundane household task. Being in control of even this small act buoys me enough to keep me from losing control." -April Mccaffery of It's All About Balance

 

5. Visualize Something Funny

"If my son is being horrible and I'm about to lose it I picture an adult (preferably my husband) doing whatever my son is doing, i.e. falling on the ground in the middle of the store in a tantrum, crying because he dropped his cookie, or eating dog food, and I instantly bust out laughing." -Tokasha M.

   

6. Speak More Quietly Than Your Child

"I make myself speak quieter than he yells. The louder he gets I take a breath and speak even quieter, trying to figure out what the issue REALLY is. Yelling back just escalates things." -Erin Smit of One Plus One

 

7. Act Instead of React

"Acting [and not reacting is the key. My son can take me over the edge sometimes (he is the mini version of myself) and I have to make sure that the things I do are not a reaction to his defiance but that I am doing something that will make the situation better — freaking out and yelling improves nothing (not that I haven't lost it once or twice). . . .Take a few minutes to assess why you are annoyed, frustrated or furious and then look past it and come up with a solution that is going to make the situation better for everyone. " -Megan Egerton of Tips for Military Families