Mommy in Time Out

I deserve a Time Out. On the stairs. No toys laptop or sewing machine. The charge? Rudeness. Sarcasm. Shortness of Temper. Sassiness. Using my Outside Voice. Overuse of Giant Sighs of Frustration and the Phrase “Are you KIDDING me right now?!?!?” And I’m pretty sure the verdict was unanimous…I need a major time out.

And as soon as I commit any of the above crimes, I immediately regret it. But I can’t stop myself from being annoyed All. The. Time. it seems. And yet, each time I think to myself that I should be mad at myself….not my lovies.

After all, they are merely little ones. And just because I am tired of their excessive “Why?”s…instead of snapping or giving a snarky response, I should remember that for every “why” comes a little more knowledge, a little more understanding of the world.

When I’m pulling out my hair because of bickering in the backseat, I should be thanking my lucky stars that my kids are able to talk to each other, interact, and express their opinions (even if it is by screaming and snatching!). I pray that they will always voice their opinions and stand up for what they believe in.

I need to remember that I am trying to teach them to respect themselves and others….so my sassiness and sarcasm gets me nowhere (since they don’t get it) and just teaches them that it’s ok to talk to people that way. Not what I want them learning. Especially from me!

But most of all, I need to breathe. You know, count to ten. Remember what’s really important. Choose my battles. And every other parenting cliché there is. Because yelling doesn’t solve anything. It only upsets me more, and scares the children. And above all, causes more noise. So breathe. Remember that they are just babies. They are learning. And watching. And copying.

And so, with that said, I will sit here in time out. I will breathe. And then I will hug my babies and say I’m sorry for hurting feelings, yelling, and just being mad in general.

And maybe one of these days I’ll learn my lesson.

How do you handle responding to your kids the wrong way?