As Marjo's song goes, "The one who goes, the one who goes"… With a few changes.
I wonder when this will end. At what point—or rather, at what age—do they finally start obeying without fail?! You know, as soon as you ask, they say, “Yes, right away, Mom!” Well, no—I was a kid once, and that just doesn’t happen. Even as an adult, sometimes I don’t do what I’m told!
Who hasn't yelled at their kids at some point? I say "yelled," but I also mean raising my voice. I don't scream at the top of my lungs either... All the time! The neighbor two streets away wouldn’t hear me, but according to the hearing test my kids took when they were born, they can hear just fine—so why does a simple instruction seem to fall on deaf ears!?
I'd love to be perfect and not have to repeat myself—and especially not have to raise my voice—but that's not my reality. Sometimes I lose my temper after telling them 46,000 and a quarter times to stop playing in the doorways. That the pantry isn't a place to hide. Don’t play with the clock face because it changes the time. Don’t climb on the windowsill. Don’t hit people with toys. That toy was in your brother’s hands before you snatched it from him. Don’t throw toys. You have to sit or kneel on the couch. Don’t flush Don't go to the bathroom just for the fun of seeing a whirlpool. That stepping on your brother isn't a game. That your nose isn't a playground. That a knife cuts (hihihi, that's a bit of an exaggeration—put down your phone; there's no need to alert Child Protective Services!)
I'd like to stay calm and speak in the same calm tone I used the first time I gave the instruction. I keep telling myself this, but when I see my child looking at me as I ask him or her to do something and then going right back to what he or she was doing as if he or she had only seen my lips moving without any sound, it makes me tilter A little, and things start to get heated. I know full well that if I say, “Who wants some candy?” I’ll have two young men by my side ready to take it, and that I’ll therefore get a lot of cooperation from them.
Hey, young man, when I ask you to pick up your toys, come brush your teeth, or get dressed, well, it’s like me asking if you want candy: my lips are moving, but, okay, I’ll admit it… the end result makes me happier than it does you! Still... LISTEN TO ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOUUUUUU! Another thing—I don’t know why, but when I reach my breaking point, the last sound just goes on and on! It’s as if my brain freezes in the face of my kids’ inaction.
Yes! Consistency and discipline—but at some point, the kids have to cooperate, or else Mom’s going to lose her mind!
Let those who have never raised their voices at their child(ren) remain silent… forever!
Well then, I'm off to practice my Zen!