Someone Has to Cry

One of the biggest things I learned about having two kids so close in age is this: sometimes someone has to cry.

I think the more technical parenting methodology name is "prioritizing", but when your kids are too young to really understand why you're doing what your doing, it means someone is going to cry. And sometimes, that person is you.

What I mean is quickly taking care of the easiest problem first then doing everything else. For example, imagine you've come back from playing somewhere and all three of you are hungry. The old kid's whiny, the baby is fussing and your head is about to explode. Take a few minutes and get food ready for the older kid first, put her in the highchair and let her feed herself. That way you can sit down and feed the baby, and maybe snack on some finger food yourself. In a little while everyone will be happy and calm, all 30 seconds of it, will be restored.

It's hard to hear your kid cry and you will feel like a horrible parent the first few times it happens. But, at least for me, this method works even now. 

Although I will admit there are times when I'm the one who has to cry. But, chocolate and a hot bath usually fixes that.