My Promise

Why is it so difficult to stay calm while talking to children sometimes? Looking back over the last few weeks (and months), I have not been the good mom that I always wanted to be. I've lost my patience, gotten angry, and yelled, a lot.


With Emmy it is easy to stay calm. She doesn't understand things yet, and she is really just a baby still. You can't yell at a baby.


But Lily is my "baby" too. She may be a "big girl," but she's only 3! Three-year-olds don't understand everything yet either.


This morning Lily wasn't listening, and I was getting upset. I will admit that, as much as I hate the fact that I've done, I have spanked her in the past. When I get to the point where I have completely lost control of my feelings and my anger. Just a swift swat on the bottom. When I was getting upset this morning, I looked in her eyes and she looked scared. I'm sure she thought I was going to hit her. How terrible is that?! My daughter, in that moment, was afraid of me. It broke my heart. A child should never be afraid of her mother. So right then and there, in that moment, I made a promise to Lily. I apologized for getting angry with her, and I promised her that I would never ever hit her, and that I would try really hard not to get so angry.




Is yelling at my child going to get her to listen and understand? Probably not. Is spanking her going to get her to listen and understand? Definitely not.


So today, I'm making a change, or at least trying really hard to make a change. Because I made a promise that I intend to keep, and this beautiful little girl is worth it and deserves it: