What are your parenting stress points?

[Whirliwig72]

What do your kids do that gets your blood pressure and stress levels soaring. How do you keep it together? Please share your experiences / advice here....

My stress triggers ( I have two boys, a three year old and a five month-er)

1. baby crying when I'm stuck in traffic and can't park up anywhere. I've been known to cry myself when this happens since I feel so utterly helpless and crap :(

2. screamy diva tantrums from my three year old because his toast, squash'um, pasta shape etc has fallen on the floor or touched another piece of food on his plate.

3. Struggling to get unco-operative toddler to stop dawdling and get dressed to go out while trying not to wake up baby that is strapped to my chest in sling.

4. doing the whole bedtime routine solo every week night -I actually fear it it's so bad. Properly timed it's just about bearable but if i mess up and baby gets hungry or desperately tired half way through it's pure hell :(

Whirligig I have exactly the same as you, 2 boys, 3yo and 5 mths. Flying solo at bedtime most nights. The only thing routine about our bedtimes however is that however well it is all going at the start, at some stage I will lose it SO BADLY that I am worried that my behaviour is going to permanently scar my 3yo. Seriously, he has started having night terrors and I'm sure that it's all my fault. Could you please let me know how your bedtime routine works in theory/in an ideal world/when pigs are flying so that at least I can try and have something to aim for. Any help gratefully received.

Oh, forgot to mention. The baby cries constantly from 4 till 7 except when feeding, so DS1's bedtime story is often delivered with him sitting on sofa, and me standing up rocking from side to side holding the screaming baby, trying to read the book upside down and shouting over the noise in my ear.

Calming