Struggling with being a godly example when I'm angry | DadHQ

Struggling with being a godly example when I'm angry

1d ago1 min read

I lost my temper at my kids this week over spilled milk. Literally spilled milk. I yelled, made them feel terrible, and immediately felt convicted. I apologized and we talked about how I'm trying to be more like Christ but I mess up too. I think there's value in showing them my failures and how I try to do better, but I'm wondering if I'm making an excuse for bad behavior. How do you guys handle this? I don't want my kids to think dad's anger is okay just because I say sorry after.

6 comments245 views

Comments(6)

JJosh M.Regularjust now

I struggled with this same thing. Turns out I had a lot of unprocessed stuff from my own childhood coming out when my kids did normal kid things. Might be worth exploring why milk got you that fired up.

JJoshNew Dad1d ago

I feel this one. I lost it over something stupid last week too and had that same pit in my stomach after. What helped me was apologizing to my kids and showing them I'm working on it. Kids are more forgiving than we give them credit for.

EEd P.Regular1d ago

The early morning quiet hour is when I do my best thinking about these moments. You felt convicted, which means your conscience is still sharp. Use that to model repentance for your kids instead of just anger.

SScottNew Dad18h ago

The fact that you recognize it was about spilled milk and not actually about spilled milk is actually huge. That's self awareness. But yeah, yelling at the kids over small stuff is a sign something bigger is going on.

RRick M.New Dad1d ago

You're a good dad for being bothered by this and wanting to do better. That anger comes from somewhere and it's worth figuring out what that is.

-1

MMatt B.Regularjust now

Spilled milk getting you that angry means you're probably stretched too thin or dealing with stress that has nothing to do with the milk. I've been there. Sometimes we lose it over small stuff when we're running on empty.