Trivial Tantrum Triggers for Both Mama and Baby

Confession: Having the kids home during the summer forces me to face the fact that I have shared not only my strengths but my weaknesses with them. I see the ridiculous contagious nature of the trivial tantrum being thrown by #FirstWorldProblems, and I scramble to teach them patience and grace. However, I am constantly reminded that managing life is a learning process I have not mastered.

Anger is one of those things many mamas have sought to teach their children to manage appropriately, but I have both succeeded and failed many a time. I would not classify myself as an angry person in general, but kids often work as a mirror showing both the purest and darkest places within us. It is clear to me that I have different expectations for my own precious spawn than for the rest of the world. It’s not fair and I know it, but I see and correct things in them that I would let the rest of the world get away with.

Both the four little ones and I try to be slow to anger, not to allow for further fault in the hotness of a hissy fit, and try to find peace quickly, but sometimes we outright lose sight of it all, embrace the crazy, and let our freak out flag fly. We’ve had much practice in  forgiving and laughing with each other about the absolute lunacy of some of the things that irk us, but these ten seem to be favorites:

Trivial Tantrum Triggers

1. When the internet isn’t working properly. If wi-fi has issues we tend to as well.
2. The hour before dinner. One word: Hangry
3. When our socks have bunched up somewhere inside our shoes. Walking is no longer an option until further notice. All must stop until things are right within the shoe.
4. Being told “No.” When we just don’t want to hear it.
5. Not being able to stay awake or asleep for as long as we want. Just five more minutes.
6. Finding out someone ate our chocolate without asking. We do love our cocoa confections.
7. Being told to eat certain food because it’s healthy for you, even if it pretty much tastes like some form of poisonous cleanser. I am looking at you, kale.
8. Long car rides, ’nuff said.
9. Having someone tell us we have been had too much screen time today. Who are you to judge?
10. Never having enough time to play. We just want to have fun, but responsibility keeps showing up.

Sorry kids, I try to let pet peeves slide, but in my failings you may have picked up some of my own passionate predilections. May we all strive to value the opinions and preferences of others, may we choose patience instead of pique, and may we live lives of love. In that effort, here I am, asking again,

“Please forgive me. I may mess you up for life, but in our home you will be loved. You will receive empathetic glances when you gone and lost your mind. When volatile, tantrum emotion gets the better of you, you will also be reminded to make a reality check. Through it all, just don’t forget, we’re all in this thing together.”