I am a mom.
Which means, I have a kid who sometimes drives me crazy.
It is at these times I am most likely to tease my son and encourage him to make better choices that don’t make me so crazy.
I don’t yell at him much anymore.
I figure if he is capable of language, he is capable of reasoning.
Here is the choice I give him when he is starting to drive me crazy.
He can either have crazy mommy who reaches her breaking point and yells.
Or ... he can have calm mommy who asks him to do things nicely.
No one wants crazy mommy, least of all mommy.
He always laughs when I give him this option and then chooses to comply with my request.
This is way better than me losing it.
Being honest about my limits as a parent and as a human helps him understand how he impacts others.
Plus, humor is always a nice diffuser. It reduces my tension and his and allows us to recalibrate our emotions so we can both make good choices.