Anger Management

Yesterday was a rough day. I came out of it thinking that I need some anger management classes.

Or a therapist. Perhaps take up yoga?

After a silly argument (about getting him to drink out of a cup instead of using a straw), he grabbed a kitchen rug and threw it about on the floor. I sternly told him to put it back in it's place, which he ignored (twice), so I gave him an ultimatum: put the rug back or it's straight to bed.

He chose to go to bed.

I hauled him to his room, and as I changed him into his pajamas, I tried to tell him why I was angry. Then I saw him smirking. That took me over the edge. I got right into his face and started spewing some very angry words.

I don't think it was so much what I said, but he definitely felt the anger in my voice. Or maybe that's what I'm hoping for? He suddenly became visibly upset, and maybe deep down, that's what I was trying to get at: for him to take my frustration seriously. "NOT EVERYTHING IS A JOKE!" I said to him, through gritted teeth. He kept his head lowered, but I saw the tears. Part of me was convinced I went too far — I suddenly remembered an episode of Super Nanny where the dad would get right in the kids' faces to tell them what they did "wrong" — but part of me also knew that I while instilling fear into my kid isn't exactly the best way to go, I didn't know how else to make him listen.

We finished up with a trip to the potty, brushing his teeth, and washing his hands, and I tried to do these with him as calmly as I could. I tucked him into bed and tried, again, to calmly explain what had happened. (And again, I just can't tell from him if he understood one iota of what I was saying.) I closed the door to his room and felt the sudden urge to make a vow to work on my anger management.