If you can't say something nice...

...then come sit next to me. Er, well, I don't remember who originally stated that version, but I doubt Thumper's mother would approve. If you've read my blog, you know how strongly I advocate gentleness and patience in parenting, looking at things from the child's perspective, etc. I rarely complain about my kids' behavior, mainly because they are really sweet and enjoyable kids most of the time. The other part is that I don't particularly want all of my own less-than-stellar moments documented and commented upon, so it seems slightly unfair to do it to my children.

Be that as it may...today was trying for all of us. We all have our own little hot buttons, right? Mine is unreasonable (to my mind, of course) meltdowns. It takes every ounce of self-control for me to remain calm and loving if my child is shrieking and screaming for a long time about something that I consider trivial. Ariana must have spent at least an hour (it felt like several hours) in meltdown mode, originally because we were out of milk to make her a steamer, secondly because her pants got applesauce on them.

Drama queen? Ha! She was the Emperess of Dramalandia, Princess of the Islands of Hysteria, Majestic Ruler over the Molehill Mountains.

My ever-so-wise, mature and loving response? To yell (snarl, really) at a decibel level surpassing hers to stop because I didn't want to hear her yell like that again. Admittedly absurd. Thankfully, we both got a grip and calmed down, had a very pleasant dinner, and all has been sweetness and light since then.

To me, this was something I definitely could have handled better, although I'm sure she isn't scarred for life or anything (even if her dramatic tendancies do come from me). Grace is for moms, too. My only point in sharing is that yes, we have days like this.