We all get tired, hungry or sick. It’s hard to maintain self control in those situations. It’s hard for me, so I imagine it’s so much harder for my kids. However, they still need to have control over their actions. I can’t break into tears every time I have a cold and my kids need to learn the same. I try to be compassionate, but I don’t want to say, “Oh, she’s just sick.” I also try to avoid blaming things on their age. Saying that my daughter is “just 2” sounds like a great excuse for her behavior. However, I don’t want to establish in my kids the blame game. I want to try and not use excuses for my child acting a certain way. We might know they’re tired or sick, but we still expect obedience. Feeling a certain way isn’t a “Get out of Jail Free” card for any behavior in the book. It’s embarrassing to have your kid falling apart or behaving a certain way, and I know I want to be able to say, “She’s just tired.” Instead, I try to say, “I’m sorry. We’re really working on this.”
Ouch. You have an excellent point. I make all kinds of excuses for myself and my kids. Either “I’m tired because the baby kept me up all night.” Or “ignore that screaming toddler, because that’s how 2 year olds are.” It’s so easy to make excuses instead of dealing head on with the behavior AND admitting that we are a work in progress. Thanks for this!
It’s hard, and it’s humbling. I needed the reminder myself as it’s so much easier to blame it on something…probably even more so when it comes to my own behavior. It’s definitely a work in progress here too.