Ugghhh

Horrible mommy - I literally just screamed at Jack and Lily, like really screamed at them. I had a conference call at 9 and I just needed them to sit there and not scream for me and ask me for a million things. I explained to them the situation (this is the second time we have gone through this and the first time they were a nightmare during my call) and how to handle it and what I expected from them. Then Jack started asking for a million unnecessary things and I asked him to try and get them for himself and he would not stop so I just stood there and screamed "YOU ARE GOING TO GET ME FIRED IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ME". He got huge alligator tears in his eyes. Oh, I feel just terrible.

(Now they are quiet though)

 

:hug: Momma! Oh, I've done the same thing. Just when you can't take anymore..... And I have one who doesn't get upset easily. When his bottom lip quivers and I see the tears form, it breaks my heart to pieces. So then of course I feel awful about it! Ugh.

Could they do some special activity while you have these conference calls? Like playdoh, coloring, etc?

 

It happens. We all have our moments. :hug: And trying to talk on the phone is SO frustrating!

Whenever I lose my cool with them, I try to make it up to them later - I tell them that it was not OK for them to [whatever wrong thing they were doing], but it was also not OK for me to scream at them, and I'm sorry.

 

:hug: It happens!! I have done that before and then cried in front of them, which made them cry worse. I think they thought I was losing my mind. I just explain to them that mommy is sorry for yelling and that I love them.

 

Done it too! We're only human!

 

I think we've all been there. :hug: I always apologize too.

 

My girls can be all quiet and great and as soon as the phone rings they start arguing, screaming, needing me for the craziest stuff...I think the phone waves trigger the "I Have to Have Mommy" portion of their brain. I have been guilty of the same thing. I think planning something for them to do during that time would be the best thing. I think you could put some toys together that are only gotten out during the conference call times so that your kids don't play with them except during those times. Then, when you pull them out, it's like they are playing with new toys every time and they are more likely to be occupied during the call.

 

same here...Abigail is so NOT my crier and the one time I was on the phone and took off on her and man oh man when she started to cry I felt like such a heel...I apologized (and so did she)....

 

If it makes you feel better ... I ... who LOVE my kids more than anything and would throw myself under a bus to save them in an instant if I had to (which I am sure you would, too) ... told one of mine (my "spirited" kid) ... well, told would be lying ... SCREAMED at her to "shut up and stop acting like a spoiled brat!" ... first of all ... shut up?! Talk about not practicing what you preach and calling her a brat ... I just am beating myself up left and right over this one. She is just soooo TRYING ... every day ... EVERY day ... multiple times a day. I just don't know how to parent her. I tell her to sit in her bed for time out until she calms down and she just gets out, opens her door, and screams "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" in my face. She is so polar. One minute she is doing that and the next she is loving on me and telling me she doesn't love ANYONE except for Mommy. I guess you take the good with the bad. What I would do, in the case of the conference call ... would be to go somewhere where they can't get to you. Lock yourself in your room and go sit in your closet if you have to. If they scream, they scream. I would just make sure they have everything they need ... a non-messy snack ... a non-messy drink ... TV on ... whatever. I had to laugh at the pp with the playdoh ... there is no way that I would give my kids PlayDoh when I could not police it ... it would be smooshed into the fabric on the couch or something for sure! Even if just by accident. Good luck. I try to keep it quiet here for my little one's naps and get so stressed about that ... I can't imagine if I had to also have important people on the phone ... kudos to you for keeping it together at all =)

 

Oh, and also, I agree with another pp that everytime I lose my cool that I apologize and say that it is not ok to yell ... not even for mommies ... and with Hannah I told her that sometimes I need her to stay in her bed for TO so that I can calm down, too. We will see if that makes any difference to her next time. Probably not, LOL.

 

Definately not proud of it, but I've done it too.

Yep, done this afterwards when they are staring at me wide eyed and shocked like mommy just lost her freakin' mind! :blush:

 

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's done this...I did a lot of yelling and some screaming at my twins today. They just frustrate me so much, and my fuse is short lately, since having the new baby, and not getting the sleep (and they really seem to kick it up when I'm trying to nurse!).

 

It happens! Don't beat yourself up about yelling... we've all been there, and we've all probably been yelled at more than once by OUR parents, but don't remember thirty years later. You could always use this as a teaching opportunity with your kids about how to handle stress and anger.

I work from home; usually my kids are in preschool but there are rare instances where they stay home (sick, snow day) and I can't take the day off. It's always so stressful because I NEED them to be quiet from time to time but they're completely incapable. Usually I resort to television, which is such a special treat that they stay quiet for a full 20 minutes.

 

I also work from home and I've been known to take conference calls in the master closet or bathroom. They can be loud even when not being bad AND being fully supervised. <_< It makes WAH very stressful sometimes.