Something I’m really working on is not allowing myself to be annoyed.

Sometimes my kids are not doing anything out of the ordinary. They’re talking in the same volume they normally do. They’re playing with the same amount of energy they always have. My oldest is not asking any more questions than she usually does and my youngest is not fussier than yesterday.

But.

I am irritable. Any volume is too loud. Any amount of energy is too much. Any question is one too many and the slightest fussiness is nails on a chalkboard.

We all know when we’re like this. We’ve all been there, and if you haven’t, you’re lying. There are days when we need to go to time-out until we can get our act together.

But.

Time-outs never really workout like we hope when we have kids. The moment you close the bathroom/closet/bedroom/car door and your kids cannot physically touch your face, all chaos ensues. I have never heard such panic as when I try to go to the bathroom…alone. I picture my oldest looking at her baby sister, cupping her face and boldly stating, “Mom’s gone. I'm your mother now. Come little one, let’s raid the pantry for food and remove this constricting fabric they call pants.”

I forgot where I was going with this…oh yes, we can’t allow ourselves to be annoyed, no matter how dire things appear in the moment.

There is never an excuse for an adult temper tantrum.

Our kids are watching us and they absorb everything.

When you feel like your kids are tap-dancing on your last nerve, bite your tongue and purposefully choose no reaction instead of an overreaction.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve held my breath and prayed, “God, I’m about to lose it, but I don’t want to.”

I’ve lost my cool before, and honestly, it never solves a thing. My kids cry, I cry, and then we’re all upset. Whether we have little angels or mighty minions, we have the responsibility and the capability of keeping our cool.

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