Written by Renee Martinez
I think I have MRSI (Mental Repetitive Stress Injury). I know, according to doctors “Mental Repetitive Stress Injury” is not a real injury, but it should be. It’s hard to avoid when you have children. It could be called the “Stay at Home Parents of Young Children Disorder” or the “Exhausted and Outnumbered by Children Syndrome”, the later could be for teachers as well. Maybe you can relate to this, I would think most parents can. Do you feel like you’re constantly repeating yourself? Is it stressing you out and injuring your mental state? If so, then you too may be suffering from Mental Repetitive Stress Injury!
Here is an example of the cause: my little angel, boy #3, who’s normally agreeable and adorable keeps teasing #4. It’s really getting on my nerves. The constant whining and resulting screams and tears from #4 is starting to get old. I feel bad for him, even though he isn’t innocent in the situation either. I find myself repeating myself over and over. “Please be respectful of your brother.”… “Please stop teasing him.”…”Please remember he’s only 1 and be nice.”…”Can’t we all just get along?” These are becoming daily mantras for me.
Parenting is difficult. It’s hard to remain neutral when you can see who the instigator is, and it’s exhausting to constantly play referee. I feel like a broken record, like we have the same conversations every day. I know it may not seem like they get it now, but it will sink in later. Repetition is the key to learning. I guess nobody said it would be easy, but I think it’s more challenging to be a parent that follows-through with taking things away or using time-out, than it is to simply be laid back.
What do you do? What works for your family?
About the Author: Renee Martinez consults and speaks professionally on social media marketing, integrated marketing communications, public relations and branding. She is the president of Ruby Marketing Communications (www.rubymarcom.com), a boutique marketing communications company that specializes in providing branding, social media strategy and integration, and creative services. Her blog (www.lisac95.sg-host.com), provides resources on everything marketing and social media for her active audience. Renee has contributed as a featured monthly columnist in the monthly jewelry industry publication, JCK on matters related to internet marketing as well as in InStore Magazine as a featured blogger where she writes about developing effective marketing strategies for the jewelry industry using social media. She is the founder of: Social Media Biz Summit (www.socialmediabizsummit.com), the first large-scale SM conference to come to Buffalo, NY; #jewelrychat, a weekly twitter chat for the jewelry industry and www.RaisingBoysWorld.com. Renee teaches social marketing courses at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY for the business school as well as offers small group social media marketing training and educational seminars for businesses in Western New York and beyond. Renee has dabbled in internet marketing arena since the early 90′s and is not ashamed to call herself a “marketing geek”. From chatting in AOL, “sharing” music on Napster, and teaching HTML classes before it was considered “cool” to developing comprehensive social media strategies, effective public relations campaigns and managing online communities (most recently Chevy Girls Buffalo). She enjoys being able to help people find their voice online and to create buzz about their product or service that will give them the results they desire. Renee can be found on Twitter (@reneemmartinez) and Facebook (http:/www.facebook.com/RubyMarCom).
