Sweet Words: A Gentle Rebuke

My! The emotions are flying around the Crooked Castle these days! Between the Drama Club members and their postpartum momma we've gone through LOTS of tissue around here. We should by stock in tissue at the rate we use it.


Drama Club member since October 2007


Drama Club member since January 2009

Though we now have an equal number of boys and girls in our house, somehow the boys still seem out numbered.

You have my permission to feel sorry for them.

I've been at a loss knowing how to deal with the Drama Club. My recent spike in hormones isn't helping either!

From morning until night (and sometimes through the night) I find myself raising my voice (code: yelling!) at them out of frustration and irritation. I have moments of sanity and clearness of mind. Then suddenly I have no patience for their tears and lack of response to my requests and corrections.

Example? The other night Amelia came into the kitchen fussing while I was making dinner and Hot Hubby was busy. I knew she was getting hungry but the water works, though not unusual, were unnecessary. I thought. After I told her many times to go back and watch her movie I heard her say something about getting a tissue "out."

Thinking she was asking for a tissue I checked her nose to see if it was running. Seeing nothing that required more valuable tissue to be wasted, I told her she was fine and to please just go back to watching the movie!

Then she pointed to her nose and said, "Get tisoo out, Mom!" She had a small wad of tissue crammed up her nose (Thank you, Papa!). Then, when I tried to get it out of her nose, she freaked out and cried more! I was relieved when Hot Hubby took over. He dealt with the tissue AND the tears and earned some bonus points from Mommy.

So, the next day, after we had a few more emotional moments, I was dealing with guilt from my response and finally I remembered That I could/should apologize for yelling at them. Why do I always forget to apologize to my kids?!

I told Amelia I was sorry for yelling at her and asked her to forgive me. She said no, but I have a feeling she might not know what forgiveness means, being two years old and all. We hugged and kissed anyways. Then I apologized to Hazel, who does understand, and she forgave me and hugged and kissed on me.

As we were sitting there holding each other, Amelia walked passed with yet another wad of tissue hanging out of her nose! My first response was to yell at her to "GET THAT TISSUE OUT OF YOUR NOSE!"

After a few seconds Hazel turned to me and gently said, "Mom, remember when you said sorry for yelling at me?"

Ugh...heart dropping to my stomach...

"Yes, I do."

"Why did you yell at Millie? You should tell her you're sorry."

And she was right. And I did.