5 Things Parents Should Remember While Angry

There are so many things a parent has to remember.

Some are tangible things like remembering to get everything you need to bring to wherever you and your child are.

Others are how to respond to your children in different situations.

A parent’s response can shape how a child grows to view themself, how they respond in similar situations as an adult, and so many other developmental things.

Remembering these five things when you are upset with your child will help you navigate these critical moments in a way that is healthy for you and your child.

1. Parents should remember they were once children, too.

For some, it was thirty or forty years ago, for others, it was far less.

However, you were, in fact, a child yourself, so keep that in mind when you deal with your children.

Remember what it was like when you were a kid and your parents got upset with you?

Chances are it was no picnic, and you can probably remember a scolding (or worse) today.

See if you can remember how it made you feel.

Do you want the same for your child?

Before dealing with any harsh punishment, put yourself in their shoes.

You don’t have to walk a mile in them, just take one step.

Look around at what they see; it’s not the same as what you see.

Think about what they know.

It’s not nearly half as much as what you know.

Children act according to an entirely original set of rules, and their world is much smaller than yours.

Their priorities are simple, and they depend on you for their existence.

Dangers you can see coming a mile away don’t even come onto their radar until it’s too late.

Instead of being harsh and going off on them, try to guide them.

Show them what they are doing wrong and point out the pitfalls they can’t see.

2. Remember, we don’t cry over spilt milk. Instead, we clean it up.

Unless your child is about to walk out into oncoming traffic or fall off a cliff while visiting the Grand Canyon, chances are that whatever you are getting upset about is small potatoes.

Eminent danger deserves a swift and curt response from you.

However, leaving their notebook on the counter does not (even if it’s one-thousandth time you’ve told them to pick it up).

I would suggest using cause and effect for the notebook.

“The next time I see your notebook on the counter, you will spend the weekend in your room.”

No emotional response is required, just the ability to follow through.

Keep in mind that getting upset is just that, an emotional response.

You should try to be more diplomatic with trivial things.

This will teach your child that you mean business in a way that doesn’t give you more grey hair than you already have.

They will gain respect for your authority if they stray too far over what is acceptable (especially if you are dealing with a younger child).

I am delighted because when I ask my child to take out the garbage, he does it with no questions, no complaining, and no more energy on my part other than a please and thank you.

This has taken years to achieve!

Now, the understanding is absolute on his part.

“If I do what I’m asked, I don’t have to stare at my walls while everyone else is outside playing.”

3. Parents should remember that it is our expectations that make us upset.

Expectations can easily lead to disappointment and make you upset with your child.

We want our children to excel at everything they do, and pushing them is a good thing.

Yet, if you get upset because they don’t hit the ball every time they come up to bat, then you need to tone it down.

We all want our children to be the best they can be, and encouraging them will go much farther than getting upset.

“Did you do the best you could?”

That’s what I ask my children.

A sincere response in the affirmative is enough for me.

The trick here is that as the parent, you always know if they did their best or not, and the child has no clue how you know.

Believe me, if I see that he is goofing off or not trying his hardest, I say something.

There’s a difference, and knowing that difference is a skill that all parents cultivate.

Their report card is an excellent example and an opportunity to check our expectations and see if they are too high.

We all want our children to be straight-A students, and maybe in their first few years at school, they were.

Now that they are in a higher grade, the A’s are turning into B’s and C’s.

If you are doing everything in your power to help them with their homework and their grades don’t come up, accept that their capacity for certain subjects isn’t that high.

Everybody is different, that’s life.

Praise them for what they do well on; help them when they struggle, and always be there for them when they need help with something.

4. “Mother is the name for God on the hearts and lips of all children.” Brandon Lee

I like this quote because it sums up a child’s view in just a few words.

They look to you for approval, guidance, praise, and everything else.

You are their alpha and omega, and your words carry more weight in their eyes than anything else on earth.

This is an awesome power over another human being; you should not wield it lightly.

With a single word, you can either make their little heart soar or crush their spirit.

Keep this in mind before you fly off the handle on something trivial.

Another thing to remember when dealing with your children is to ask yourself, “Is their behavior a direct reflection on me?

Is making me upset something they learned from me or heard me say?”

Put a mirror in between your child and make sure that it isn’t you that is to blame, not them, for making you upset.

Often we see our children reflect on our bad habits and our good ones, and it can generate negative emotions in us, and they wind up receiving the brunt.

5. Nothing is “That Bad.”

We live in an imperfect world, and your child hasn’t been here that long.

Instead of getting upset when they do something you don’t approve of, show them the error of their ways.

Tell them why you are upset and what danger they might have put themselves in.

Use the wisdom you have gained in life to open their inexperienced and un-jaded eyes to the things they just can’t see.

Parenting is an enormous responsibility

Finally, parents should remember that this isn’t a dress rehearsal, it’s the real thing.

When they get older, they will remember the highs and lows of their childhood, even if you don’t.

Believe me, it will influence the relationship they choose to have with you once they are old enough to make all of their own decisions.

That is a fence you don’t want to wind up on the wrong side of, so be as patient as you can now, and in the future, you’ll be someone they will be proud to call mom and dad.