Struggling with patience when disciplining my kids | DadHQ

Struggling with patience when disciplining my kids

3w ago1 min read

So I'm reading all these parenting books about being Christ-like and leading by example, but when my 7yo spills juice on my work laptop for the second time this week, I lose it. I yell. Then I feel terrible because how can I expect them to have self control if I can't? My wife pointed out that I pray about everything but don't actually wait for God's guidance before I react. Anyone else dealing with this? How do you stay calm and actually model what you're preaching?

6 comments184 views

Comments(6)

MMarkRegular3w ago

Man, I feel this so hard. I've got three kids and there are days where I'm yelling over something stupid and then immediately feel terrible about it. The book knowledge and the real-world exhaustion don't always line up. What helps me is taking like 30 seconds before I react, even if it's just walking to the kitchen for water. Doesn't always work but it's better than nothing.

MMatteoRegular3w ago

This is the real struggle right there. I think a lot of us are trying to live up to this perfect version of ourselves as dads and it just sets us up to fail. Maybe the Christ-like part is also forgiving yourself when you mess up, you know?

DDwayne S.Regular3w ago

The twins taught me real quick that staying calm is harder than any parenting book makes it sound. You're not alone in that struggle, and the fact that you're thinking about being Christ-like means you're already on the right track.

AArchie M.Regular3w ago

Oh man, juice on the laptop hits different. As the juice box logistics officer around here, I can tell you there's always gonna be spills, but how you handle the second one says everything.

JJoe C.Regular3w ago

That's tough, man. I vacuum every single day because it's the one thing I can control in this house, but patience with the kids is a different beast entirely. Second spill would test anyone's faith.

DDavid M.New Dad3w ago

The patience thing gets me every time. I've found that when I'm running on empty (no sleep, too much stress from work) my fuse is basically nonexistent. So now I try to actually take care of myself first, which sounds selfish but it actually helps me be the dad I want to be.