"You never feel like a bigger piece of sh*t than when you snap at your kid. I'm guilty of it myself - harshly chirping "give me a minute!" when my little guy wanders in and needs help tying two monster truck toys together at exactly the moment the oven timer goes off and I'm straining the boiling water off the pasta. I know it's just overstimulation, but also that I shouldn't direct it at him, but maybe I'm also just a rage monster who is undeserving of his adoration - it can sure feel that way."
"The little girl looked at her seriously and said, "You're always mad." "It hit me harder than I expected," the mom wrote. "I realized she's not wrong. She's seen me yelling because she won't get in the car, snapping when she spills juice, sighing when she asks for help right as I start cooking. It's not anger at her; it's just exhaustion that never ends.""
Parents frequently snap at children during moments of overstimulation, such as cooking, errands, or juggling tasks, and children perceive those reactions as constant anger. A child can directly tell a caregiver that they are always mad, which can hit caregivers with deep guilt and realization. Full-time work and immediate transitions into parenting duties leave many caregivers depleted by bedtime. Children sometimes act independently to avoid provoking perceived anger. Recognizing these patterns can motivate caregivers to prioritize rest, clearer communication, and deliberate calm to reduce snapping and repair parent-child relationships.
Read at Scary Mommy
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