Tonight the topic at the dinner table was respect. What is it? How do we show it? How do we not show it? (yes, we fully enacted different scenarios of respecting and disrespecting each other...) Following dinner, hubby and I discussed various aspects of our incredible parenting skills that needed some polishing. We agreed that more creativity needed to be used in the area of disciplining rather than our ever so famous...."STOP" cry (actually it's a yell....but who wants to admit that they actually yell at their children.....?) Feeling ever so confident that we were turning the corner on this parenting skill we rewarded our compliant and well adjusted offspring with the treat of sleeping by the Christmas tree in their sleeping bags. They were so delighted!
No sooner had they settled in when all of a sudden I hear a blood curdling scream. As I jumped up to go to the living room I look up to see the youngest stumbling into our room with his hand on his forehead. As he looks up at me I see it......the BLOOD...lots and lots of blood...horror movie type of blood running down his face.
No sooner had they settled in when all of a sudden I hear a blood curdling scream. As I jumped up to go to the living room I look up to see the youngest stumbling into our room with his hand on his forehead. As he looks up at me I see it......the BLOOD...lots and lots of blood...horror movie type of blood running down his face.
Now my mind is running in a million different directions...emergency room or urgent care?....where are my wallet and keys?....am I in fact wearing a bra? Suddenly I hear myself screaming at the top of my lungs, "J WHAT DID YOU HIT YOUR BROTHER WITH? WHAT DID YOU HIT HIM WITH? COME HERE AND TELL ME RIGHT NOW? WHAT DID YOU HIT HIM WITH?" While I'm yelling this the youngest catches a glimpse of his bloody face in the mirror and loses it.
I now realize I must gain control of the situation. The small voice in the back of my head says, "remember head lacerations bleed quite a bit..." I finally gain composure, take care of the patient and then turn my attention to my oldest. He had in fact explained the entire scenario to me while I was nursing the patient...younger brother was trying to stick his behind in older brother's face, used the rocking chair as his stability bar and landed head first into the fireplace hearth!
The funny thing was, in the midst of the chaos...this 6 year old remained completely calm...even to the point to assisting me with items daddy couldn't find. I looked him right in the eyes and said, "I love you and I am so sorry for yelling at you. I was wrong, will you forgive me?" He looked back at me with his big brown eyes, said, "yes" and then responded, "yelling at me like that was disrespectful wasn't it?"
Touche!
Touche!
2 comments:
There's hope for our grandkids! It's amazing how much they absorb even when they don't appear to pay attention. Keep up the good work.
PapaJ
Oh my word!!!!! We have had situations like that and have really yelled at our kids- like the time the 7 year old slammed the 2 year olds finger in the door and locked it...
Anyway, I feel your pain. God bless you as you strive to be the kind of parent that God wants us to be= the hardest job ever !!!
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