Been praying hard about this. I lose my temper over stupid stuff with the boys and then I feel terrible about it. My wife reminded me yesterday that they're watching how I handle frustration and what kind of man I'm showing them to be. Starting to pray every morning before they wake up, asking God to give me patience and grace. This parenting thing is humbling. Need Jesus to work on my heart.
The fact that you're aware and praying about it puts you ahead of the game. We all lose it sometimes. Your boys will remember that you're trying to do better way more than they remember the lost temper.
Hey, the self-awareness is huge here. Most of us struggle with this. Keep leaning on your faith and your wife's support. You've got this.
Man, I hear this. The stupid stuff gets to me too sometimes. Good on you for recognizing it and working on it. That's real growth.
Real respect for admitting this and praying about it. That's the first step. When I started recognizing my triggers and planning ahead instead of just reacting, everything changed. You're going to get through this.
I've been struggling with this exact thing. Three kids means there's always something going wrong and sometimes I just lose it over spilled milk or whatever. Started keeping a journal of when it happens to see if there's a pattern. For me it was stress and not enough sleep. Have you talked to anyone about what's triggering it?
I've been there man. The guilt afterwards is almost worse than the anger in the moment. What helped me was being honest with my boys about it. Apologizing. Showing them that even dads mess up and have to work on it. They actually respected me more for it.
The fact that you're praying and feeling terrible about it shows you care deeply. That matters. I had to learn that anger with kids often isn't really about what they did in that moment. What's really going on underneath when you lose it?
The fact that you feel terrible about it means you care deeply. That's actually the foundation for change. Talk to someone if you need to, whether that's a counselor or your faith community. You don't have to figure this out alone.
Sign in to join the conversation.
Man, I feel this one hard. With the night shift schedule and being with the kids all day, I've definitely had moments where I snapped over something small. What helped me was taking a step back when I feel it coming on, even just going to the kitchen for a minute. The praying part is good too, but also be gentle with yourself - you're aware of it and working on it, that's huge.