the catastrophe scale
I have a tendency to overreact. Sometimes my sighs over food-splattered-clothing are a little too loud and often I tsk, tsk, tsk. If I’m particularly busy and feeling overly sensitive I can approach a small problem with the drama usually reserved for an emergency. Perspective is not my strong point.
Last weekend we visited the local primary school’s annual fete. Che was having his face painted in one of the classrooms so Daniel and I wandered around the room to check out the artwork. Amongst alphabet place cards and paintings of autumn was a big, bright poster titled: The Catastrophe Scale. Daniel just turned to me and raised his eyebrows. I laughed-out-loud and had to refrain him from ripping it off the wall and taking it home for our fridge.
Number 1 on the scale: “You dropped your ice-cream”
Number 10 on the scale: “There’s an earthquake in your home town.”
Point taken.
Now I just think of the words ‘catastrophe scale’ and snap back into a grounded reality.
The photos are completely unrelated…but I’m still reminiscing about beautiful Melbourne
Oh yes I think we are all there with you. But somehow I always think you are calmer and more holistic in your approach to parenting so this is an eye opener.. you are like me! Phew! That's a relief. I am normal!!! Parenting is one LONG lesson… I might make a postcard with catastrophe scale on it… as a reminder! xx
that's the kind of postcard I would love to have on my fridge Lou. Yoga has a lot to do with the calm…but as I've said before, calm and chaos go hand in hand. x
actually Lou, there's one pranayama (breathing) technique that I practice when being a mum becomes a little overwhelming. I'll write a post on it soon…
i got a bit of a giggle over this, i can relate 🙂
Hey you..you're not alone;)
I picked it was Melbourne instantly…so when are you coming back MIss? xx
BTW it seems like forever since I knit anything and was reminiscing over past projects and look what I saw…
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/quarterofaninch/noro-hat
*sigh*
xx
Ha! Wow, this applied to me today… I had a disproportionate meltdown because for the third day in a row my toddler refused a day sleep for the third day in a row. Um, not proud of it, but it means I am extra receptive to this message tonight.
but the poster does indeed acknowledge that 'dropping your icecream' is a catastrophe. Sigh away.
😉
I laughed at this as it's me too. Yesterday I couldn't find my son's bubbles….rang OH at work….can you check the car please. OH's response was errm I'm busy, can it wait – No, it can't I need to know where they are now in case we left them at my parents! Not a big deal at all but to me at that moment, yes it was! Tomato sauce on white t-shirt = Number 7 on scale. Slug munched plant = Number 8 😉
Brilliant! I could use the catastrophe scale on my fridge..
oh I laughed at this jodi.. I am the same. hubby often comes quickly into the room to see what the high pitched gasp was for.. only to find food on the floor or (washable) texta on the table… I can't help it – the noises escape from my mouth without being able to control them! x
I smiled at the catastrophe scale! And very excited about your comment/reply above about the yoga breathing technique! I can't wait to read that post! Elisa x
It feels so good to know other mamas out there do the same thing. Sometimes I overreact without even thinking and it's like trying to stop a freight train! Then I get so mad at myself. I might need to get or make a gentle reminder like that 😉
Oh, thank you Jodi. That was an exceptionally timely post!
What a lovely reminder to us parents :b
Oh, brilliant, thank you Jodi! That is a good reminder. Sometimes it's so easy to lose perspective (and to be fair, when all you seem to do is laundry and a child is on it's third clean outfit of the day, food splattered clothing can be a mini-crisis!). I always lose it over spilt apple juice – always sticky no matter how well you mop it up.
As a kiwi living in Australia I can relate. I grew up in, and all my family still live in Christchurch. NOTHING will compare to that day last year when I heard the city had been hit by a quake and many people had died in an earthquake. Those minutes before I heard who was alive were the scariest of my life.
HOWEVER, as a Mum, I still manage to melt down when milo is spilt on the floor!!!!! Go figure….
Wow thanks for the inspiring post. I don't default to catastrophe as a rule but when the overwhelm hits….. however I do have a 9 year old daughter who could do with some perspective. I think a catastrophe scale on the fridge or the chalkboard cupboard is a great idea.
Oh wow, this posts rings very true for me! I am the overreacting queen! I think I might need to write this down on my fridge as a daily gentle reminder 😉 x
Wow, you do realise that you have made yourself sound so perfectly normal. Here I was thinking you were so calm and zen 😉 I am glad you are indeed just like the rest of us Mums. I am so happy to hear that others over react. I am oh so very guilty of this over reacting business. I bet your tsk tsking and sighs are way more gracious than mine. Why do we overdramatise everything anyway?
This made me giggle, because I can be such a drama queen at times too. Think I need this 'catastrophe scale' poster on my fridge also.
As someone who rates a dropped ice cream as a 10 I would benefit from having this poster somewhere at home! x
Have you read this book : Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom,by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor ??
Oh yes! I need me one of those posters. Get in a huffity huff about the most ridiculous things. Wishing you a lovely week 🙂
I have this poster at home!!!! I got it from school for my eldest child who has a tendency to over-react. One of our favourite sayings is "Is it a shark bite or a mozzie bite?"(A shark bite will kill you, a mozzie bite stings a for a moment and then it is gone.) We all say this when things aren't going according to plan and it helps to bring our little dramas back into perspective. Although these techniques were aimed at my kids it has really done wonders for me too!
For Daniel to stick on the fridge 😉 http://files.campus.edublogs.org/global2.vic.edu.au/dist/8/8569/files/2010/04/catasscalew.jpg
How brilliant…a catastrophe scale and dropping an ice cream is on it!!! I am a tsk tsk tsker too and maybe too many times than not. Breathing i find is the best remedy for when i am loosing it big time!!! walking away while breathing is the next best thing too!
X
Ha, someone should start seling these posters, sounds like a lot of us could use one. ME included!
sounds like something I could do with some days! (and most people I know too : )
Ahhh yes, good old catastrophising. My specialty too. Not sure what we should do about it, but at least we realise that we do have the tendency to, on occasion, blow things way out of proportion. I am sure in the whole scheme of things you are a very reasonable person 🙂
This post did make me laugh out loud though!
I loved this Jodi. A friend of mine asked me recently, after I told her how I lost it over a glass of milk all over the floor, if I would have lost it had I just won the lottery. Hmmmm