People always ask me if I yell at my kids and I always get kind of flustered.
If I say no, I would be lying, (there it is, I do yell). If I fess up and say yes, will I lose their professional respect? I mean, how good of a parent educator can I be if I also yell at my kids? Shouldn’t I be above all that?
After my initial confusion, I opt for the honest approach. (I stink at lying anyway) This is what I say:
“Of course, I yell. I get annoyed and frustrated at my kids. They are kids and I am human. However, I try to yell in a way that allows me to let off some steam but does little damage to my kid’s self-esteem. I try, for the most part, to yell without accusing, blaming, name-calling, and humiliating my kids.”
Does that make me sound self-righteous? I am sorry. Everyone who takes my classes knows that I try to teach methods that take the feelings and needs of parents into account. I want to help parents manage the trials of everyday living with kids naturally and simply. I also want kids to have their needs met. I want their feelings to be respected and I want them to feel loved.
I say this because I remember the feeling of pain when I was yelled at as a kid. How I felt misunderstood. And now as a parent, I see how easy it is to get so irritated with my kids. Learning how to deal with the frustration of being a parent without hurting my kids was a high priority for me. I was ready to listen to anyone who could teach me how to manage the anger that comes with parenting.
I would love to share with you what I have learned.
Join my latest class, Simple Ways to Parent Without Anger here to start learning proven techniques to help you remind calm and grow to become better, calmer parent.