1. Discipline
I'm not talking about the kids. Being surrounded by tiny humans all day can test your self-control, for sure. You must learn to hold it together, no matter how chaotic the circumstances.
2. Develop Long-Lasting Energy
Go to bed an hour earlier, take a job, or maybe have a cup of coffee. You need to do whatever it takes to keep up with those kids because I swear, they have an external battery (and they like to recharge before nap time). They just keep going.
3. "Fake It Till You Make It"
We all have bad days. Bad days can easily be amplified by a 3-year-old screaming in your ear. Remember, that 3-year-old needs you. You have so much influence on him or her; if you are sad, he or she is sad.
4. Patience, Patience, Patience!
Need I say more?
5. Kids Are Brutally Honest
I have never taken any criticism as personally as criticism from a child. They don't know any better than to keep it real. If you look "sick without makeup" or you "have a big butt," they will definitely let you know. They do it for your own good, I think...
6. How To See the Good In People
Aside from how brutally honest they may be, most children are not yet old enough to be cruel. The most beautiful thing you will ever witness in a child is his or her ability to accept. Kids are often times quicker to accept different kinds of people than adults are.
7. To Question Yourself (see number 6)
Do I teach children, as much as they teach me?
