YELLING
YELLING When our children yell at us in anger, many of us are tempted to yell back at them for talking to us in a disrespectful tone. Some of us want to shout, "Don't you ever talk to me like that!" Our parents punished us severely for expressing anger toward them. When we were told, "You can't talk to me like that!" We felt as if we had done something terrible or committed a horrible crime. Yet, we wanted our parents to hear what we were saying, and we probably yelled because we didn't feel they were listening. In our recovery we are learning new ways to deal with our own anger as well as our children's anger. It's not easy to accept their right to feel angry with us. Once we accept, in theory, that children have a right to be angry with parents, we are left with the challenge of teaching them to express their anger toward us in a way that doesn't undermine our authority. We don't want to punish our children for trying to communicate with us. They won't always do it right, especially when they are upset. But then, neither do we. However, if we listen with care and respect to each other, no one will be forced to yell. I accept my children's right to feel angry with me, knowing that their anger doesn't make me less of a parent.Click here to listen to this meditation.
This excerpt is from Daily Meditations for Parenting Our Kids by Thomas Wright. Click below for more information. Back To Meditations
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