No, locking them in the crawl space under the porch while you go see Godzilla is not one of them.
But as all parents know, there are times when frustration, tiredness (ours and theirs), and countless other factors combine to form a super combustible time-bomb of insanity that can erupt in a torrent of yelling directed at our little sweetie-pies who we love so much.
Sometimes we justify the yelling with excuses, like “otherwise they just won’t learn” or “it’s the only way they listen.” My standard excuse is that my yelling, no matter how loud and terrifying, is much better than climbing out of the driver’s seat while going 70 mph and gently tossing the little angels, one by one, out the car window.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Over at Aleteia, Kathleen M. Berchelmann has a great little piece on how to stop yelling at your kids. She has six great ideas, all worth reading and putting into action. Every parent will find them useful.
Among her pointers:
“Admit that yelling is bad. Your anger may be justified, but yelling is not the right way to express it. What would you do at work if you were this angry? Hopefully not yell. Find other ways to express to your children that you are very angry. Recognize that there are times when it is counterproductive for your children to know that you are angry.
Don’t make your kids compete with your cell phone for attention. A bunch of researchers sat in fast food restaurants and recorded how kids acted while their parents were on digital devices. Here’s what they found: Kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens, will misbehave to get your attention. It’s that valuable to them. Don’t make them compete with your digital devices for attention.”
Read the rest of Dr. Berchelmann’s great ideas here.