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Is That Me Yelling?

Apr 02, 2014

Parents, you are not alone! If you find yourself getting angry and yelling at your kids most days, it’s time to understand more about why you yell and what to do about it. Maybe you were raised by a yeller, and you can’t seem to kick the habit of letting your feelings spill out and land on your kids. Or perhaps you’re stressed and have temporarily misplaced your compassion, kindness, and gratitude. Or you may be raising a spirited child, who is destined to be an entrepreneur or lawyer, but is not so good at remembering to follow the family rules. Yelling happens easily during parenthood—even though simultaneously you’ve probably discovered deep wells of love for your children.

You Can Learn to Stop Yelling at Your Kids!

Most parents yell at their children occasionally. Losing it with our kids comes with the territory of parenting—we’re tired, they’re tired, it happens. Often you can apologize, laugh together, and get back to your calm and patient approach to child rearing. But if you are yelling just like your mother used to yell, or have lost your sense of joy you’re your children, then it’s time to focus on how to reconnect with yourself and your child.

I have found that the combination of understanding temperament (a person’s behavioral style) and a cognitive behavioral approach (working with thoughts, feelings, and actions) works well for parents who are motivated to understand themselves and to make positive changes. Fortunately, we can learn from our mistakes and change our habits and conditioning. It’s never too late to start fresh.

I wrote the book, “Is That Me Yelling?” to offer parents and providers inspiration and tools to yell less. When you understand yourself and your child better, and forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made, you can begin on the path to less yelling and more harmony.

Am I yelling or just being firm?

When parents yell—regardless of their volume—they are often angry or frustrated and have lost some degree of self-control. When I yelled at my kids, I always felt my intensity rising—my breathing and heart rate were up and I was literally feeling hot under the collar. My main goal was to express my frustration and let my kids know that they had better listen “or else!”

In contrast, the assertive communication you use thoughtfully as a part of the way you discipline is not the same as yelling. There are times you may need to be firm (and calm) to get a child, who tends to tune his parents out, to listen to requests.

Most people agree that it is appropriate to yell sometimes, especially in dangerous situations when someone might get hurt—to stop a child who is reaching for the hot stove or about to dash into a busy street.

In my book there are many exercises and stories to help you understand the things that trigger yelling, and what to do about them. Here are a few tips to help you begin on the path to yelling less:

1. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to yell less?” Reflecting on the consequences of losing it will help you change.

2. Think about the reasons you use yelling as a form of discipline. Maybe you don’t know what else to do, or yelling is what you learned from your parents. 

3. Become aware of the signs of stress and anger in your body. Do you get warm, does your breathing become rapid, do you clench your jaw? Notice your thoughts and feelings when your child does something that bugs you.

4. Learn how your child’s temperament and yours impacts your yelling. Maybe he’s loud and you are sensitive.

5. Imagine a hidden camera in your house. What would you see?

6. When you are triggered by your child, take a few deep breaths and pause before you speak. Give yourself time to calm down and decide what’s needed.

7. In general think about how you can connect with your child so that respectful communication comes more easily to both of you.

8. Work on setting limits and establishing family rules. Being proactive is easier on everyone.

9. Practice self-compassion. It is a key ingredient to yelling less.

10. Get enough sleep so that your irritability is lower and your patience is higher.

Your decision to yell less will allow you to start right now down the path of calm, connection, and peace. Start slow and reach out for support.

“World Peace Begins At Home”

Rona Renner

Please check my web site, www.nurserona.com, for events and book readings in your city. “Is That Me Yelling?” will be available in local bookstores and online May 1, 2014.

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Rona Renner, RN
Parent Educator

About Rona Renner, RN

Rona Renner has been a Registered Nurse for 46 years with a wide range of experience in health care. In the last 20 years she has focused her attention on pediatrics, parent education and advocacy, ADHD and learning differences. In 1992, she was trained by Kaiser Permanente Medical Center as a temperament counselor to help parents understand their child's behavior, and she co-wrote the temperament based parenting class manual. In 2002, she founded Childhood Matters, a non-profit organization producing radio shows in English and Spanish. "Nurse Rona" hosted a weekly call-in radio show for over nine years, and has appeared on many television shows, including CNN and 20/20. Rona is the author of Is That Me Yelling, a book aimed to help parents learn how to effectively communicate with their kids by focusing on their child's unique temperament, and their ownShe loves working with parents one-on-one, in groups, or in large workshops. Rona is happily married, has four adult children, and two grandsons.

This is some great advice on yelling! I am going to try these things out.

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