To ask you to make me feel less alone if you've lost it with their kids I already??

[AllesAusLiebe]

Just that, really.

18 month old DS has been impossible today. Crying, complaining and tantrums pretty much all day.

I reached the evening in relative calm, but he spent 15 minutes whining in the kitchen whilst I was preparing his food, then proceeded to refuse to eat, instead throwing things across the table.

I lost it big style and really shouted. God, I feel awful.

I do genuinely feel a little embarrassed that I can't spend 4 days in the company of my own kid without losing my mind. Anyone else?

Oh you are definitely not alone!

And in response to a previous poster, no of course it's not ideal to constantly shout at your kids - however occasionally losing it when they are being a little so-and-so is a natural reaction and is not going to do them any long term damage!

@cherrybunx0

Constant shouting and raising of the voice, yes.

The one off shouting that OP has done, absolutely fine.

Children must be shown a variety of emotions, how to deal with them, and how to apologise if the emotion chosen was wrong.

There is a massive difference between a single incident of shouting, which is what has happened here, and a household where shouting is the norm. Thank

My children have been fine, perfectly nice, co-operative, doing their work etc. DH ditto. I still was in an astonishing grump by dinner time, I felt ready to rip their heads off.

The only explanation I could come up with was that I was sick of cooking (Cooking? Hah! Poured a tin of curry sauce over some chicken and boiled some rice!)

The real reason is that I am worried about the virus, worried/guilty about whether we are behaving in the right way, generally feeling the strain and bored stiff. It's a difficult time that none of us have experienced before, cut yourself some slack, tomorrow is another day!

@Pentium85 I think we will probably have to agree to disagree on this one. I think there are better ways of showing emotion than being shouted at. cant say it has ever made me feel anything but scared and/or upset

@cherrybunx0

Definitely better ways, without a doubt!

But sometimes people are only human and therefore I never expect anything but a human response.

Due to me separating with his dad on top of all this, I've been quite lenient with DS this week, but I still snapped at him when he wouldn't leave me alone when a tap burst in the kitchen and my mum couldn't understand where the stop tap is .

I've also explained at least 100 times that no, he can't talk to me constantly and I can't play with him every second one of the day.

Doesn't mean I'm not also enjoying having him at home.

Thanks folks, I do feel like I'm not alone. Agree with a pp - my natural recourse when things are getting on top of me with DS is simply to go out. I take him to the park to run off some steam, to a soft play or even just to my inlaws for a change of scene. It's the knowledge that these options are no longer available that's adding to the stress, I think.

For clarity, I don't usually shout. That's why I'm so upset and disappointed in myself because I don't want him to grow up thinking that it's okay to respond in that way and/or being afraid of adults yelling, especially not his parents. I'm gutted because I think I frightened him as he's not used to me acting in that way.

I'm determined to put it right tomorrow, just it's bloody hard at the moment.

I really take my hat off to those dealing with young children at home alongside homeschooling!