If there's one quality every parent should have, Oklahoma mom Kayla Sullivan believes it should be a good sense of humor. She demonstrated how this helped her deal with her toddler's tantrums after her video on TikTok went viral.
In an interview with "Fox & Friends Weekend," Sullivan, who used to be a reporter for Fox59 and CBS4 Indy before becoming a full-time mom, shared that she finds comedy a lifesaver when parenting her two-year-old. She does "field reports" of her toddler for her friends and family, which was the subject of her famous video.
"People do really kick out of [it]," Sullivan said.
The mom trended online after she came out with her report on Allen, the son who had an episode at the Olive Garden earlier that day. She detailed the incident with such professionalism and hilarity.
@kaylareporting Now accepting donations for babysitters & or take out! Venmo: @Kayla-Sullivan-96 #NewsVoice #ToddlerMom #EveryKiss #newsvoice #YerAWizard #2022 ♬ original sound - Kayla Marie Sullivan
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The Toughest Job Ever
In the middle of her interview "Fox & Friends Weekend," her son almost had a tantrum on TV as well, but Sullivan kept him on the line and displayed an impressive amount of patience. The mom acknowledged that parenting is the most challenging job because "you're judged no matter what."
Sullivan also clarified that her son is not a terrorist despite how she described him in the viral video. The kid, however, does throw a lot of public tantrums that belies his behavior as a "sweetheart," according to his mom.
Many parents could relate to Sullivan's experience in parenting; thus, her video reached 17 million views during the first three days it went live on TikTok.
Importance of Humor in Parenting
According to Parent Circle, having a dash of humor helps parents diffuse a stressful situation. Humor also stops moms and dads from taking every hiccup and mistake too seriously so that the child ends up detaching from the adults.
Humor is also a good communication tool that can boost creativity, critical thinking skills, and confidence. It allows the kids to pick up on their parents' positive energy instead of their parental anxieties.
As a discipline tool, humor can break the power struggle that creates friction between the child and the mom or dad. It could help toddlers become more cooperative or the older kids more responsive than reactive to the adults.
One of the outcomes of using humor is that parents tend to nag or shout less at their kids. If the children see less aggression around them, they also learn to manage their anger.
Parents who also know how to laugh at themselves can be good role models for the young ones in learning how to handle stress. From the looks of it, Sullivan has mastered the art of staying calm and undisturbed even if her son is already having a meltdown.
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