Have you seen the viral drawing of the parent with her mouth wide open, words of anger pouring out and into her crying child's head?
It's an extremely powerful image and I often think about it directly after I lose my temper with my kids. It's such an important topic to be mindful of the words our children absorb directly from our mouths.
So, are you yelling enough?
In the evening when your children are busy riding bikes or drawing with chalk on the sidewalks, are you yelling for them to come inside for a warm meal?
When their team is down too many points to come back, are you still yelling for them to "Go, go, go!"?
How about when they're winning? Are you yelling "Great pass! Keep up the hustle!"?
After their song in the school performance goes terribly wrong but they're proud of themselves (with that goofy little smile), are you yelling BRAVO?
When you play games together and the tower falls or the timer goes off, are you yelling together in excitement?
When Dad's watching the game and his team scores, is there celebratory yelling that can be heard through the whole house?
(A definite yes in this house! Go Dodgers!)
When you're the tickle monster running after screaming toddlers claws out, are you yelling "RAWR!"?
Then mama, I'd say that even if you lose your cool on a pretty regular basis...
You're doing a great job!
These are the yells they will remember!
These are the ones that matter!
Keep yelling loudly!!
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