thank you!!!

Hitting and or smacking any person of any age is never acceptable behaviour. There is never anything another person can do to "push" you over the edge. I am appalled at your comments. As parents and adults we are to be a role model to our children - abuse is never ok or someone elses fault. You need to take ownership of what you did and just admit that it was wrong. As for yelling, yes, at times it is ok (to keep your child safe as they start to cross the road unattended for example) but most other times its just not ok. If you are yelling at your children constantly, even if you aren't name calling or belittling them, it can have a lasting negative effect towards your relationship with that child and their future relationships with other people as well.

That's a great idea! Thanks for sharing it.

Oh, that's a good one!

I always love your perspective, Donna!! 🙂

As the mother of a 29-year-old, married man, in one of our recent visits, when talking around the dinner table, it came up in conversation one time when he was a teenager and I went nuts on him. He did something (which neither of us can remember specifically) one too many times, and I was obviously having a rough day to boot, and I started yelling at him and smacking him on the upper arm. Now, he was pretty much full grown at this point, so my open-handed smacks were hurting me and simply making him laugh, so I formed a fist and he still was laughing. I think it was partially nervous laughter because, in that same recent conversation he admitted he always felt bad about that---about the laughing, but also about whatever he did that pushed me like that.

Obviously, a child would be handled differently, and of course, individual to their personalities, so this scenario is not what would happen if my son were young. I'm just trying to make a point. I also felt guilty when, after a long day at work and coming home to my mother all upset about my son having diarrhea and messing up the whole bathroom 'cause he still refused to sit on the toilet (he was closer to 3 years old than 2), I ended up screaming at him to sit when he had to go. He did, and couldn't hold it since it was diarrhea, then jumped right off and looked at what he left behind. THAT was when it became apparent that the reason he wasn't potty trained was because he was afraid he'd go down the toilet which, through the entire process was never obvious or revealed. I hadn't realized that his fascination with flushing the toilet was more out of his fear and trying to understand it. Of course, I felt guilty about it, but guess what? He was instantly potty trained and he was not marred by the experience in any way. He, in fact, was then relieved of the stress he was feeling during our entire potty-training ordeal which was MUCH worse than me yelling at him.

What was much more important is that, when a conversation really mattered--especially more serious situations--I was at my calmest. And, to my son's credit he was perceptive, even as a teenager.

So, yes, we definitely don't want to always be yelling, but it's not all bad and you shouldn't be beating up on yourself if the yelling, etc. is occasional and more "called for" 🙂 I sincerely hope that helps, though I'm sure there are people gasping in horror, thinking I must've been a terrible mother 🙂

Yep, it's a great little phone! I'd probably still be tied to my flip phone if I didn't have it!