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How can I stop shouting?

17 replies

youhavetouseanexistingholesir · 07/05/2019 10:12

I shout at the kids and I hate myself for it. They are 3 and 6. I feel stressed and frustrated all the time - they don't listen or do anything I ask, then I shout and it obviously does nothing to help it's just because I don't have any control of the situation. Then I hate myself after and worry that I've frightened them. I don't know how to change though. I do try to manage my stress levels but there's only so much I can do. Can't spend my day meditating.

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NuffSaidSam · 07/05/2019 10:19

Implement a new behaviour management technique. Write out some house rules, explain to the children. Have something for 'bad' behaviour (time out or loss of a toy or going down a step on a reward chart, wherever works). Have a reward chart too if that would motivate them.

Always praise more than you chide, no matter how bad the behaviour. Find any little thing they're doing right to praise.

Ignore bad behaviour as much as possible, no give it any attention (that's why time out works so well for lots of children).

Let them learn from their own mistakes. So, they won't get dressed, they go to school in their PJ's. They won't get ready to go out, they miss their outing. They won't get ready for bed, no time for a story etc.

Stop shouting. They become immune to it and then you have to shout more/louder and on and on.

youhavetouseanexistingholesir · 07/05/2019 10:22

Stop shouting. They become immune to it and then you have to shout more/louder and on and on.

It's so true

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Charles11 · 07/05/2019 10:27

Would it help to get better organised?
Wake up 15 mins earlier, get things sorted the night before, have a system that helps to keep on top of chores.

youhavetouseanexistingholesir · 07/05/2019 10:27

...would you really take them to school in PJs though?? This was our problem this morning. Told 6 year old to get dressed quickly and come down whilst I was making lunches. 10 mins making lunches and he still hadn't appeared. Went up and he's half dressed and his room is trashed. Then I shout and go on at him 'why can't you just what you've been told! Etc etc' & I KNOW it doesn't help and I feel so guilty after but it's just stress and frustration because unless I am supervising him he doesn't ever ever do what he's been asked. He has so little independence and we've made no progress in years. His brother is really good and just gets silly sometimes.

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youhavetouseanexistingholesir · 07/05/2019 10:29

@Charles11 yes I need to be more organised, I really do. I'm not a morning person. We just need to start everything earlier so the 'bit before we leave' it actually half an hour before we need to leave.

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NuffSaidSam · 07/05/2019 10:33

I would take them to school in PJ's if I thought it would jolt them into getting dressed properly in the morning, yes. Not if I thought they'd just think it was a laugh so depends on the child.

You'll only have to do it once. I would bet you wouldn't get past the garden gate before he wanted to go back and get dressed really quickly (which I would let them do).

youhavetouseanexistingholesir · 07/05/2019 10:38

@NuffSaidSam could go either way with my 6 year old!

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Charles11 · 07/05/2019 10:38

I helped mine get dressed at 6yrs for an easier morning.
I know some people might be horrified by that but it made things quicker and by the time they’re 7 or 8 they can do it by themselves quickly.
Our morning routine is -
I get up an hr earlier than the kids.
Have a shower, do their packed lunches, unload dishwasher, do a few other chores, get breakfast ready, have a coffee, then

Get kids up - get them in the bathroom, brush teeth, quick wash, get dressed, do hair
Downstairs to have breakfast
Wash face
Bags ready night before

youhavetouseanexistingholesir · 07/05/2019 11:38

@Charles11 my goal in life is to be you! (Seriously, it is). I will try getting up earlier but I'd have to be so so quiet. The second they hear noise they're up. I tried setting myself an alarm but they heard so I had to stop. Will try with my Fitbit as it just vibrates.

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youhavetouseanexistingholesir · 07/05/2019 11:38

... & by 'they' I mean the 6 year old - but then he'd wake the younger one up anyway

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BertieBotts · 07/05/2019 11:40

The reason you're shouting is because you've lost control, so you need to regain control of the situation. (Sounds sooo simple :o)

Note that you can't control everything they DO. You can only control other things - for example reducing their options, your own reaction to their behaviour, your communication to them, etc. By the same token: You can control things like what options they have to eat, which shoes are available, what time you aim to leave the house, how much there is to get ready, the route you take to school. You can't control - their moods, their actions including whether they put the shoes on, traffic, weather, availability of parking. It's useful to separate things out like this, stops you from getting angry at the things you can't control.

If you are not a morning person the biggest thing you can do to help - though the thought is torturous - get up earlier, preferably about 20 minutes before the kids. Why? Because it gives you a window of peace to come to before you have to get in role. Make yourself a coffee and sit scrolling through FB/open a window/jump in shower/whatever will wake you up in peace.

Reduce the amount you need to do by prepping as much as poss the night before so you're not stressing - lunches, bookbags can be done. Uniform laid out to aid with dressing and avoid any last minute panic searching for socks, shirts etc.

If 6yo can't be trusted to dress unsupervised don't expect him to - worry about why that might be at another time. For the moment, in the mornings, just deal with what you have. Meet the child where they are rather than trying to go with where you think he should be. Get it functioning and then if you want to you can work on small incremental changes (not leaving him on a totally different floor for 10 minutes, that's too big a jump). So get DC in one room to dress - you help the 3yo while the 6yo does his own but in the room with you. Try to get them to see if they can beat a timer - don't get them to race each other as it causes arguments.

You might be trying to squash too many tasks into too short a time. If it takes longer than 10 minutes to get dressed fine. It might help to do a "mock up" morning (or other time sensitive tasks) at a non stressed time and see how long each individual task takes so you have an idea of how long you need to be leaving for each bit (with 5 min contingency between each task). Again meet child where they are - a child isn't going to complete a task (even a simple one) in as short a time as an adult.

I used to find TV useful for mornings in that - if DS1 ready by certain time, TV could go on and one episode of Peppa (on Milkshake) could be watched. When Peppa was finished TV had to go off as it was time to go. If he didn't finish getting ready in time we had the 10-15 mins (can't remember now) that Peppa usually lasted as back up/extra time. That was genius because it was essentially something they couldn't argue with because I couldn't change the TV schedule.

Divide (tasks) and conquer - if you have a partner who doesn't leave for work 2 hours before you need to leave for school, get him to take over supervising or preparing some of the tasks.

Make your boundary separate from the actual line, add a "safety zone". For example. If you know that you need to leave by 8.40 and you will absolutely be late if you leave after 8.43, don't wait until it looks like you'll be leaving at 8.41 to get really cross. That's not enough grey area. Instead, make your boundary be 8.25. If their behaviour is causing you to need to leave later than 8.25, that's the boundary for behaviour management of your choice to kick in. Does not need to be shouting/telling off, could be loss of star chart or some privilege en route, could be a different/positive technique, could just be you chivvying them along to remain on task for an 8.25 exit. The difference is - you'll be able to stay calm, because you know really if you leave at 8.28 or even 8.30 you'll still have loads of time to get there. If you have your boundary the same as the actual time you NEED to leave then you've got no safety zone when they push it and you'll tend to go into panic mode and think "But I NEED to get them moving" and then you'll shout etc, which doesn't work anyway, and just gets everyone really stressed out.

I've focused on mornings but apply same principles to any situation:

  • Remember what you can control vs what you can't
  • Meet the child where they are until the situation is manageable, then make small incremental changes
  • Build yourself in "breathing space", as in safety zones between parenting boundary vs actual, OMG panic boundary, also in allowing extra time, finally in general (20 minutes to sit down with a cup of tea perodically is important)
  • Divide and delegate (to husband, to "past/future you")
youhavetouseanexistingholesir · 07/05/2019 14:35

Thank you so much @BertieBotts, that is such good advice. Tomorrow I will get up before the kids - on reflection I really do need some time alone to wake up, I think it will help massively. & I will work on being more organised and prepared. It's also nice to hear that helping 6 year old get dressed isn't such a bad thing. I feel under pressure to get him to be more independent but I do feel that if I lower my expectations a bit and help him more (for now) it will make things easier and just nicer.

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bodgersmash · 07/05/2019 14:37

Read Calm Parents Happy Kids. And also Playful Parenting.

I'm a natural shouter and whilst not perfect now, these books really helped.

EllaEllaE · 07/05/2019 15:21

A couple of other suggestions.

  • We like to get up an hour before our 4yo, but he would also wake as soon as he heard us moving about. A white noise machine in his bedroom every night, if not eliminating the problem 100%, has made a huge difference.
  • my DP has also always been a terrible morning person. Turned out he has pretty sever sleep apnea. A CPAP machine has transformed his life and meant he's significantly more able to function and control his temper in the morning.
  • layout breakfast on the table before you go to bed and have your first cup of caffeine all set up ready to go (or even on a timer!). Layout clothes for everyone (including yourself) before you go to bed. School bags packed, shoes by the door. All that stuff is a pain to do at night but better than doing it first thing in the morning.
  • be kind to yourself. It's hard work sometimes. You'll get there Flowers
NuffSaidSam · 07/05/2019 16:57

That's a great post @BertieBotts! Some really good advice there.

youhavetouseanexistingholesir · 08/05/2019 22:11

Had a much better day today - organisation definitely helps! Thank you for all the replies, they have made me feel so much more positive and motivated!

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Charles11 · 08/05/2019 22:17

Well done Smile
It’s so much nicer when we feel more positive.

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