When I was a child, I spent a lot of time on weekends and over breaks with one of my friends. We would take turns spending time at each other's house. Whenever I was at her house, there was always a lot of yelling. Her parents always yelled to get the kids' attention or at them, and her interactions with her sisters always involved yelling. I remember coming home 95% of the time feeling exhausted and on edge at the high stress level that comes with yelling.
As my kids get older, they are becoming more opinionated and have their own personalities. Over the last month or so, I noticed that I was yelling at my children much more often than I would like. My husband had even made comments about how much I was yelling at the boys. This broke my heart because my house had become like my friend's house that I didn't like. I would nightly pray and ask God to provide me with guidance to be a mom of understanding, patience, and have a calm demeanor. However, I was still yelling and feeling frustrated every day. Continue praying Jami is what I kept telling myself...
During staff development on Monday, a colleague shared that she was participating in a program called "The Orange Rhino Challenge". It started when she read an article called "10 Things I Learned When I Stopped Yelling At My Kids". She said she's been doing it for over 30 days and has already noticed a difference in her home, as well as in her classroom. I sat there with tears coming out because I knew that God was answering my prayer through an unexpected medium.
Last night, I finally had a chance to read the article that my colleague mentioned. My gut hurt after reading it because I could say "That's Me" for almost every bullet point in the article. I made the choice as I was putting Jayden to bed last night that today is the day. While it is a small victory, I chose not to yell this morning and both of my kids were happy when I dropped them off. I am accepting the Orange Rhino Challenge and will put this in place every day in every situation. I invite you to join me on this journey... Please join me either as an accountability partner or as a participant. When you see me, please ask me how it's going or please tell me how it is going with you. I will be placing orange objects around my classroom, my car, and my home to remind me when I feel like I am going to lose my cool.
Thank you for following me and joining me on this journey towards being a "nice mommy" while also being a firm, consistent Mama.
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