We've all seen them...the tantrums that kids have when they don't get their way. Perhaps you have seen a child who starts to cry at the sound of the word "NO" or "not now". We are all born with these tendancies and eventually outgrow them as we get older....Or do we?
As a mother, I can say that I've had my fair share of tantrums. I have lost my temper on numerous occasions and have said things I later regretted. However, I have learned to accept the fact that I am just human. I am allowed to make mistakes once in a while. I learn from those mistakes and hopefully grow from them.
Recently I have come to accept that some of the traits I strongly dislike in my children are traits that I personally need to work on myself! Traits such as stubborness, being unorganized, and procrastination are things I struggle with. It's not a surprise that I see these same traits in my children.
What is my first instinct when my kids don't do what I ask them to do? Well...it's usually to yell or sometimes pull them by their hair and force them to do it. (Just being honest.) However, I stop myself (usually) and think to myself, "Is this the best way to handle this situation? Or is this going to make things worse?" Just the other day I saw my oldest physically forcing his younger brother to do what he wanted. It was like a lightbulb went on inside my head. I realized that in order to teach my kids how to control those urges, I must first learn to control those myself. What a brilliant idea!!!
Next time I am about to lose it I am going to shut myself in my room and scream into my pillow. I will shed a few tears. I will basically give myself a mommy time-out. I will then compose myself and resume my motherly duties. Yep! That's what I'll do. (I'll let ya'll know how that works out for me.)
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Need a little time-out?
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